by Stephen Kimball
When it comes to working to attract new businesses, most communities tout very similar attributes. Browse any site selection magazine's ads, for any location in the United States, and they will almost all say the exact same things. Be it Albuquerque or Topeka, these ads will state that the community has a great available workforce, pleasant environment, and excellent schools. One sample headline reads, "Bastrop, Texas: Where Opportunities Grow." Another reads, "Sand Springs, Oklahoma: We're Open for Business." This approach fails because it does nothing to show a potential business what makes the community unique-what makes it an innovative place to locate a business.
Another element many communities advertise is their "shovel ready" business park. In the case of building business parks on spec, there has been a build it and they will come attitude, as though a large open field with sewer, water, and electric will be the deciding factor that convinces a major new employer to come to a community.
Tompkins County Area Development (TCAD) takes a very different approach to business attraction. We, in fact, do not advertise in site selection magazines. We do not cast a broad net. Instead we use a targeted approach that looks carefully at the strengths of Ithaca and Tompkins County-a truly excellent workforce, a quality of life that is second to none, a world-class research university, a large private college, a beautiful lake, and numerous gorges and waterfalls. In other words while "Ithaca is Gorges" it is also the place "Where Innovation and Culture Converge."
It is these assets, especially the presence of Cornell University with its cutting edge research and active efforts of technology transfer, that allow us to target industries we are interested in bringing to Tompkins County. Nano technology, green materials, food and veterinary sciences, and engineering are just a few of the areas where research findings could be licensed and businesses could be located right here in Tompkins County. Wouldn't it be exciting if one day a business could be started in Tompkins County that manufactures the robotic minesweepers that a team from Cornell's Engineering School is working to develop? There are many examples of companies that have started businesses based on Cornell research and located here. Advion BioSystems, Kionix, BinOptics, Dnano Systems, Novamer, and OptiGin are just a few of the many examples. What's more important to note is these businesses employ hundreds of people with high paying jobs with room for advancement.
Along with the unique assets of our community, the incentives TCAD is able to offer through the Industrial Development Agency and the Empire Zone program go a long way to build on our strengths with sound economic investments. These benefits help make Tompkins County more competitive against other areas of the country, or even overseas, that are believed to be more favorable to business.
In addition, we believe that good business retention is business attraction. What new business is going to choose to come to a community where the existing businesses are leaving? Not many. Additionally, keeping existing businesses in Tompkins County, while not always easy, gives us the opportunity to seek out businesses that are complimentary to ones already existing in our community. An excellent example of this is e2e Materials, an Ithaca startup, and Comet Skateboards. e2e Materials produces petroleum-free, biodegradable composites that are stronger, lighter, and cheaper than composites filling landfills today. Because of e2e Materials, Comet Skateboards has relocated here from California and is going to begin manufacturing skateboards using this cutting-edge, green technology.
In the end, our greatest asset lies in the uniqueness of our community and the people who live and work here. Tompkins County Area Development does its best to work with these strengths and help them turn into economic opportunities that help our community to grow, while still maintaining the quality of life we hold so dear.
Recent TCAD Activities
TCAD's recent activities include delivering incentives to: Plastisol, a fire truck body manufacturer starting in Groton and Borg Warner, our community's largest manufacturer. The Empire Zone program administered by TCAD has certified Ithaca Coffee Company, Transonic Systems, BinOptics, as well as 15 more business so they are eligible to receive New York State Empire Zone Benefits. In addition, TCAD and the Tompkins County Workforce Investment Board are partnering to conduct a comprehensive employment study of not only Tompkins County, but the surrounding region as well.
Originally appeared in the Ithaca Journal's Business Journal
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Ithaca and Tompkins County: Where Innovation and Culture Converge
Tompkins County Area Development
200 East Buffalo Street, Suite 102A Ithaca, New York 14850 ( 607 ) 273 - 0005 |