In Cayuga County, May brings new growth in our farm fields and neighborhood yards. The month also brings two celebratory weeks in the business community: National Small Business Week May 1-7, and Economic Development Week May 9-13. Both events recognize contributions to our local, state and national economies. While Small Business Week recognizes the contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners, Economic Development Week serves to increase awareness of local programs that create jobs, advance career development opportunities and improve the quality of life in communities everywhere. At the Cayuga Economic Development Agency, we provide businesses of all sizes access to the resources they need to grow in Cayuga County.
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, a small business is one that has fewer than 1,500 employees and a maximum of $38.5 million in average annual receipts. With 28 million small businesses making up 99.7% of all U.S. firms, small business is big business for the United States economy.
As your local professional economic developers, CEDA aims to boost the vibrancy and livability in our Cayuga County communities. On our website, we invite you to view projects and startups on which we’ve assisted at cayugaeda.org/projects.
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The website makes it easy to find information about starting, growing or locating a business in Cayuga County. The “Featured Sites” (cayugaeda.org/for-site-selectors/featured-sites) portion of the website focuses on key (large) properties for business attraction. CEDA works with businesses of all sizes, so while the smaller manufacturing, office or retail spaces may not be listed online, they are still tracked within an internal database and shared with those looking to start or relocate a business. If you have a space available, make sure it’s listed with CEDA. You can contact us via the website’s contact form or visit our staff page, cayugaeda.org/staff, to find staff email addresses.
CEDA recently welcomed new CEO Bradly Broadwell. Brad has over 30 years of economic development experience at the local, state and federal levels. He has roots in Cayuga County and has managed federal and New York state labor programs here in the county. His previous experience includes economic development leadership or consulting work in North Carolina, Maryland and Vermont. He’s also worked in the federal government at the U.S. Department of Commerce and overseas in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Mongolia.
We are also welcoming back a former staff member, Maureen Riester. Maureen is reprising her role as economic development specialist. In this role, she focuses on retention and expansion of larger existing businesses, as well as business attraction. For the latter, she stays apprised of the available commercial sites and buildings and sells the benefits of expanding or relocating businesses to Cayuga County. She will be visiting existing businesses throughout Cayuga County to assess their needs and challenges, and making the appropriate connections to local, regional, state or federal resources necessary for them to remain in the county and grow.
Both Brad and Maureen bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to our team and will fortify our efforts to continue to support our local businesses through the COVID-19 recovery stages. CEDA can help businesses and entrepreneurs access local or state grant funding, find a location or mentor, and assist in accessing tax incentives, low-interest loan programs and/or technical assistance. We do all of this by working collaboratively with partners and experts throughout the region.
CEDA is a private sector, 501(c)(3) local development corporation established to implement a comprehensive economic development strategy for all of Cayuga County. CEDA’s mission is “To foster a sustainable quality of life in Cayuga County through job retention, expansion and attraction.” To learn more, visit cayugaeda.org or contact one of our specialists for free and confidential assistance for your business.
Devon Roblee is marketing manager for the Cayuga Economic Development Agency. She can be reached at (315) 252-3500 or [email protected]