EP 2 CONOR ECKERT INTERVIEW September, 2021

Uniland Development CEO Michael Montante offers insight into economic development from the commercial developer's point of view, and partnering with the ECIDA to redevelop the former Bethlehem Steel site into an advance manufacturing campus now known as Renaissance Commerce Park. Find out what role incentives play, and how Uniland gives back to the Western New York community.

ECIDA Board Vice Chair and Policy Committee Chair Richard Lipsitz shares his views on the incentive approval process, creating policy and how his role has a longtime labor leader in New York State informs his review of ECIDA applicants and their projects.

LISC Western New York Deputy Director and ECIDA Board member Tyra Johnson Hux visited the Get to Know Your IDA podcast in March 2022, to discuss how she views her role on the ECIDA Board, and talks about the many programs offered by LISC to help minority businesses in Erie County. Tyra was very involved in the COVID PPE Grant Reimbursement program offered by the ECIDA, which helped many small black-owned businesses. For information about the many, many helpful programs LISC administers to help minority businesses, visit https://www.lisc.org/wny/ 

Invest Buffalo Niagara President and CEO Tom Kucharski discusses the business of attracting business: the important role that tax incentives play, and the sometimes complicated process of successfully attracting employers to Erie County and Western New York. Learn why our "quality of life" and remaining economically competitive are so important to companies who might want to locate in Erie County; did you know that "tax incentives" are only awarded if a project is built? And if that project is cancelled or does not get built, the tax incentives don't go toward anything else, because they don't exist without the project.

For more information on Invest Buffalo Niagara: www.beinbuffalo.com or www.buffaloniagara.org 

Learn some surprising facts about the Town of Amherst from Dave Mingoia, President/CEO/CFO of the Amherst Industrial Development Agency. Can you guess what percentage of the acreage in the Town of Amherst is commercial? Dave discusses some of the economic development history, strategies and challenges faced by Erie County's second largest IDA, and Buffalo's largest suburb.  

ECIDA Chair Brenda McDuffie offers her thoughts on leading the ECIDA Board through application review and approvals, the ECIDA's responsibility to taxpayers, responsible recapture policies, and steering the agency and Board of Directors through the pandemic. Ms. McDuffie describes the lengthy due diligence process all applications go through, and why the ECIDA Board is the furthest thing from a "rubber stamp."

Erie County Industrial Development Agency President and CEO John Cappellino discusses the ECIDA's COVID economic recovery response, which included creating special loan and grant programs to help small businesses and nonprofits. Cappellino also describes how the agency staff and Board of Directors adapted quickly to address the crisis.

Montgomery IDA Executive Director Conor Eckert talks about getting the word out about the community benefits created by IDAs. Social media, videos, corporate communications, public education campaigns and news media all play roles in correcting the many misconceptions about IDAs.

New York State Economic Development Council Executive Director Ryan Silva shares his thoughts on IDA Myths, community benefits, and a September 2021 IDA survey report released by the NYSEDC.