As a life-long Central New Yorker, I am deeply troubled by the loss of manufacturing jobs in our region. From 1998 through 2002, the region lost 7,850 manufacturing jobs, and $81 million in manufacturing industry wages, significant and painful to our region. We in the State Assembly are doing something about it. My colleagues and I have worked hard to find viable job creation strategies for Central New York and the State as well.

As chair of the Assembly’s Task Force on University-Industry Cooperation, I have learned that companies that survive and thrive in the “New Economy” are those that innovate; invest in new products, new designs and materials; and explore new production technologies. I have been examining ways to put university research and development together with industry and the workforce - incumbent workers as well as workers of the future. The State must continue to provide whatever incentives we can so that the R&D in our universities, labs, hospitals, and research centers can result in commercialized products and processes that find their way into the manufacturing plant to make industry in New York competitive in the global marketplace. We also have to make sure that workers are trained or retrained to work with these newly developed technologies.

• To further realize the Assembly’s commitment to the revitalization of the manufacturing industry in New York State, we want to expand outreach to small businesses, encourage flexible manufacturing and small business networking, and focus on strategic industry clusters. We propose providing critical assistance to small firms to facilitate exporting of their products to markets around the world.
• Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, shortly after announcing our pledge of two million dollars for the ESSENTIAL NEW YORK INITIATIVE, which will help to implement a new regional economic development strategy for Central New York, unveiled the Assembly’s NY@Work agenda. This initiative encourages innovation across economic sectors, paying special attention to the issues and concerns of the manufacturing industry. These elements include the following:
• The New York@Work Job Creation Program would provide grants for capital investment in the State’s economic infrastructure, including manufacturing facilities, strategic industry service centers, and transportation projects related to economic development activities.
• Manufacturing Competitiveness Grants would aid small manufacturers with up to 100 employees in developing new products and adopting innovative production technologies, improving their competitiveness. TDOs would play a significant role here: grants would be awarded to colleges and universities to work with one or more manufacturers and TDOs in developing or designing new, or improving existing, products, materials, prototypes, or processes to improve productivity and competitiveness. Each project must be recommended by the TDO serving the region where the university and/or manufacturer is located.
• The Small Manufacturer Niche Markets Program would provide competitive grants which would be available to not-for-profit corporations, local development corporations, trade associations, educational institutions, TDOs and Manufacturing Extension Partnership Programs with a demonstrated capacity to conduct market analysis and seek new markets for niche products for manufacturers. Projects eligible for this assistance would include research, market analysis, marketing, and identification of sources of financial assistance to enter into new markets.
• The Strategic Network Partnerships Program would organize, integrate, and coordinate State programs designed to assist manufacturing industries to become more competitive and productive. Groups of industries important to New York State that need assistance in remaining competitive in the international marketplace would be identified for specialized support, including assistance in forming strategic self-help networks and establishing industry specific manufacturing service centers.
• The Manutech Program would enhance competitiveness of manufacturing companies through assistance for upgrading the skills of incumbent workers, enabling them to utilize the new technologies being applied to production. The program would offer competitive grants to employers, consortia of employers, labor organizations, or industry associations seeking assistance for skills upgrading assistance. Skills training would be provided through local community colleges.
• The Export Trade Development Program would provide grants on a competitive basis to public benefit corporations, not-for-profit corporations, local development corporations, industrial development authorities, trade associations, educational institutions, and other not-for-profit organizations which promote trade development for small businesses. Projects eligible for assistance would provide one or more of the following services: export market analysis; foreign direct investment leads; export trade promotion; export trade education; export trade finance technical assistance; or export trade finance.

My Assembly colleagues and I are working hard to help to invigorate the manufacturing sector here in Central New York. I will continue to work toward that end and I encourage you to keep me informed of your progress and your needs so that I can continue to be an effective voice for us all in the State capital.