49th Edition: June 17th - June 21st 2024

Orange County's Economic Surge: New Investments and Innovative Sectors Drive Regional Opportunities

We are living through a dynamic growth period for the Orange County market. National and regional developers are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in spec buildings, international companies are seeking sites for advanced manufacturing, and the state is investing millions of dollars in our downtowns and efforts to develop manufacturing business parks. At the same time, our commitment to supporting emerging sectors has never been stronger – we’re seeing dynamic opportunities in clean energy, cannabis processing, food, and beverage, and recently, aviation.

For the last two decades, we have attended hundreds of planning and town board meetings, public hearings, and local planning meetings. Communities have asked local leaders and economic development professionals to attract higher-paying jobs. We listened and are actively working to deliver. We’re using programs like FAST NY to advance manufacturing business parks – site readiness efforts allow us to predict the future of Orange County, and to write our own story. Local elected officials are embracing the new economy, helping advance real, positive change. Today, we’re positioned to win substantial economic development projects, creating a ripple effect that impacts the construction, consulting, and local business communities.

Last month, the Port Authority authorized two ground leases at New York Stewart International Airport for Sky Harbour Group and AFCO (Aviation Facilities Company) to develop corporate jet hangers and service facilities. These projects will invest $119 million to build 300,000 square feet of new hangar space, creating hundreds of well-paying permanent and construction jobs at New York Stewart International Airport. With the support of Town of Newburgh Supervisor, Gil Piaquadio and Deputy Supervisor, Scott Manley, along with Town of New Windsor Supervisor, Stephen Bedetti this project marks the culmination of a collaborative multiyear effort to spur job creation at the airport – the momentum will likely help us attract additional aviation investment over the next few years.

As economic developers, we are consistently reimagining our economy, thinking about the next decade of opportunities. As an organization, we are steadfast in our commitment to supporting the advanced manufacturing sector. Over the last few years, we’ve prioritized building relationships with national site selectors and real estate professionals from the tri-state area, with a particular focus on New Jersey and Connecticut. These relationships have yielded new opportunities in cannabis processing, food and beverage production, plastic package production, and the offshore wind supply chain. Presently, we’re in active discussions with approximately $2 billion worth of manufacturing projects interested in localizing factories in Orange County.

You might ask, what comes next? The answer is clear - we must strengthen local pro-business coalitions, support our workforce partners, and invest in utility infrastructure to meet the needs of robust project opportunities. Reimagining the economy of Orange County and the Hudson Valley is inherently collaborative – we can’t succeed unless we’re all aligned in our efforts to spur a new generation of job creation.

My very best,

Maureen Halahan

President & CEO

Conor Eckert, Vice President of Business Attraction - Orange County Partnership

Conor Eckert presenting on the Cannabis Site Selection Panel at the NYS Economic Development Council's Annual Meeting.

Cannabis Manufacturing: A Sustainable Sector in Orange County

By: Conor Eckert

Cannabis processing is a dynamic industry sector, primed to help advance our manufacturing goals. I recently had the pleasure of sitting on the Cannabis Site Selection panel at the New York State Economic Development Council’s annual conference last month, along with industry and real estate experts. The goal of the panel was to share economic development value of cannabis manufacturing – and how economic developers can prepare sites, communities, and infrastructure to win competitive site selection requirements for multi-state operators and local processors alike.

The key variables in site selection tend to be like most other manufacturing projects:

Robust power infrastructure
Access to public water/sewer preferred
Proximity (with a degree of distance) to highway arteries
Labor/Ag fundamentals

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Orange County Partnership Honors its 2024 Most Valuable Partner - Engineering & Surveying Properties

Approximately 450 business executives, elected officials and guests gathered at the Barn at Villa Venezia in Middletown on June 4 to honor Montgomery-based Engineering & Surveying Properties’ Principals Ross Winglovitz and Jay Samuelson as the Orange County Partnership’s Most Valuable Partners for 2024.

While the highlight of the program was feting this year’s MVP honorees, the event also featured highly informative Orange County Partnership updates on economic development activity and initiatives going forward this year.

The longtime Orange County residents that founded and continue to lead Engineering & Surveying Properties are celebrating their 20^th year in business. The company boasts a diverse portfolio that has fueled the addition of much-needed housing for the county’s workforce, and thousands of jobs in connection with their engineering and surveying expertise on industrial, hotel, mixed-use, residential, retail, municipal and adaptive re-use developments.

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Orange County Partnership's

2024 Most Valuable Partners:

Engineering & Surveying Principals -

Jay Samuelson & Ross Winglovitz

Orange County Executive, Steve Neuhaus addressing the crowd at our MVP Breakfast

Albert J. Frassetto

Recent Frassetto Companies Project:

80,000 SF industrial building located at 18 Leonards Drive in Montgomery

Frassetto Co-Founder Albert Frassetto Passes Away at Age of 87

Although his company hailed from New Jersey, the Frassetto Companies’ Co-Founder Albert J. Frassetto’s belief in the viability of Orange County as a key location for business commerce, has been critical in the county’s economic growth in both good times and in bad.

The Orange County Partnership was saddened to learn of the passing of Albert Frassetto on May 20 at the age of 87 in Palm Beach, FL. An active member of the Orange County Partnership, Mr. Frassetto, a former resident of Saddle River, NJ, and his company were bestowed with the Orange County Partnership’s Most Valuable Partner (MVP) Award 20 years ago (2004).

The Middletown Times-Herald Record reported during the Partnership’s annual breakfast at Anthony's Pier 9 that Partnership President Maureen Halahan praised the “vision and venturesome spirit” of the Frassetto family, who at the time had built eight spec buildings in Orange County.

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New York State Maps DRI, NY Forward Projects in Port Jervis and Cornwall

ALBANY—New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced recently a host of transformational projects for the Mid-Hudson region as part of two economic development programs: the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) and NY Forward. A total of nine projects were announced for the City of Port Jervis, the Round 6 winner of a $10-million DRI award and seven projects were announced for the Town of Cornwall and the Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson, a Round 1 winner of a $4.5-million NY Forward award.

“Generations of New Yorkers have experienced the historic and vibrant Mid-Hudson downtowns, and we are taking steps to safeguard their future,” Gov. Hochul said. “These major investments will drive economic revitalization for businesses and local communities and create a place where families can thrive.”

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Part of Port Jervis’ DRI award will fund the revitalization of Riverside Park.

One of the many plans Cornwall has in store for its NY Forward upgrades.

New York Continues to Reap Benefits of CHIPS and Science Act

This August will mark the two-year anniversary of President Biden signing the landmark CHIPS and Science Act and in that short time, New York State has seen a host of companies, including Micron, Qualcom, Global Foundries and IBM announce multi-billion-dollar investments in the Empire State.

The CHIPS and Science Act provides $52.7 billion in federal funding to bolster the nation’s once dominant microchip sector. As the Orange County Partnership continues its marketing efforts to attract microchip supply chain companies to locate operations in Orange County, the latest data on the CHIPS and Science Act’s impact clearly shows that the semiconductor sector will be a growth sector for years to come.

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Orange County Tourism Rebrands, Urging All to 'Pick OCNY'

GOSHEN—On June 13, Orange County Tourism & Film unveiled its fresh new branding, with an eye-catching apple-themed logo, the upbeat slogan, “Pick Orange County”—and a new mascot, “Hudson.”

“Tourism is vital to Orange County, N.Y.’s economy, and Orange County is a terrific tourism destination. The county offers adventure, family fun, farm-fresh goodness, rich history, a thriving craft beverage scene and spectacular views and vistas, all just 50 miles from New York City,” said Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus. “Our new tourism branding brings a lively dynamic that will reflect these qualities on the county’s tourism website, social media, travel guide, ads, and many other platforms.”

Amanda Dana, Director of Orange County Tourism & Film, added, “Our diverse attractions and destinations are among the many reasons to love Orange County, which is why we welcome visitors from New York City and around the region, nation, and world. The new logo, slogan, and mascot make a great introduction for people to see why they should Pick Orange County!”

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