10/4/04
Local Leaders Named to Regional Development Alliance
SYRACUSE, NY – SUNY College President Erik Bitterbaum and Cortland Business
Development Director Linda Hartsock have been named to a new Regional
Development Alliance intended to help Central Upstate New York compete as a
Super Region.
Representing 12 counties in all, the 23 alliance members come from a variety of
economic development, business and academic institutions across the Central
Upstate region.
“We have assembled a group of leaders who share a reputation for getting things
done and a commitment to organize and act across a wider geography,” said John
Zawadzki, president of Partners Trust Bank and chairman of the Regional
Alliance. “The involvement of these leaders is crucial as we develop a more
collaborative approach to economic and community development throughout the
12-county Central Upstate region.”
Zawadzki was asked to chair the effort by the Essential New York Initiative
Steering Committee of the Metropolitan Development Association. Released earlier
this year, the Essential New York Initiative is a series of six strategies for
regional growth focused on technology-related development and the attraction and
retention of talented workers.
A major element of the strategy calls for the Central Upstate region to compete
as a Super Region, coordinating efforts across St. Lawrence, Jefferson, Oneida,
Herkimer, Madison, Tompkins, Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oswego, Lewis and
Cortland counties.
Return to news index