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USA Niagara announces hiring of Anthony Vilardo as president

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Thu, Apr 18th 2019 05:05 pm

Vilardo will work on economic development initiatives in downtown Niagara Falls

USA Niagara Development Corp. announced Anthony Vilardo will join on as president.

USAN, a subsidiary of Empire State Development, supports and promotes economic development initiatives in Niagara Falls by leveraging private investment and encouraging growth and renewal of the tourism industry in the city.

Vilardo starts at USAN on May 6. The USAN board of directors will be requested to approve his appointment to the office of president at its next meeting, scheduled for May 8.

As the new USAN president, Vilardo will manage daily operations of the USAN office in Niagara Falls and work on a variety of city projects that are creating jobs, encouraging businesses investment, improving regional infrastructure and promoting tourism activity. He will work with state and local elected officials, other state agencies, civic groups, community leaders and the private sector to improve the Niagara Region.

“As our economic development representative in downtown Niagara Falls, Anthony will be driving the strategies to grow business and tourism in the city, and I’m proud to welcome him to the team,” said ESD President, CEO and Commissioner Howard Zemsky.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to continue working to advance the progress downtown Niagara Falls has made under the leadership of Gov. Cuomo and Mayor Dyster,” Vilardo said. “I am firmly invested in this community; I grew up here, was educated here, and my wife and I have chosen to raise our children here. We’ve made great progress thus far in the city’s downtown revitalization, and I am looking forward to playing a part in its continued renewal.”

Vilardo, a Niagara Falls native, has worked as director of business development for the City of Niagara Falls since June 2015. In that role, he served as executive director of N.F.C. Development Corp. and Niagara Falls Urban Renewal Agency, working on a variety of projects in the city and managing a portfolio of 50 grants and loans.

A press release noted, “More importantly, Anthony has been an integral part of the overall economic development team in Niagara Falls, working in almost daily coordination with partners at ESD and USAN, as well as with the Niagara County Center for Economic Development, Destination Niagara USA, other state and local agencies, and public service utilities.”

“For more than a decade, no strategic partnership has been more essential to the city’s resurgence than the close, day-to-day working relationship with USA Niagara,” Mayor Paul Dyster said. “Anthony’s selection as its president ensures that the progress made in transforming the city’s downtown and expanding the tourism economy will continue into the future.”

Prior to his work with the City of Niagara Falls, Vilardo served as the governor’s representative for Central New York; field coordinator of the Central New York Area Labor Federation, ALF-CIO; director of major and planned giving at ProLiteracy; and manager, political action committee, at National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association. 

Vilardo is a graduate of Niagara University and lives in Niagara Falls with his wife, Cheryl, and their daughters Carmella and Kate.

About USA Niagara Development Corp.

USAN, a subsidiary of Empire State Development Corp., is solely dedicated to the support and promotion of economic development initiatives in Niagara Falls by leveraging private investment and encouraging growth and renewal of the tourism industry in the city. For more information, visit https://esd.ny.gov/usa-niagara-development-corporation-6.

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