2018 ANNUAL REPORT …

[Pages:12]2018 ANNUAL REPORT 1

CORELLE ANNOUNCES FACTORY OF THE FUTURE IN CORNING

For many people in the Corning community, the iconic brand names "Corningware," "Pyrex" and "Corelle" have been synonymous with their hometown, originating as part of Corning's Consumer Products division, then as part of World Kitchen, and now as cornerstone brands for the Corelle Brands company.

In August, Corelle Brands assured the community that the company would be producing Corelle there for many years to come. Through a $50 million investment, Corelle Brands announced it will be creating the "Factory of the Future", a modernization project that will allow the company to bring a third tank [furnace] online, upgrade technology and expand automation capabilities to allow for the transfer of Pyrex decorating from other company locations, among other improvements.

The transformation will require the retention of 515 jobs and the creation of 25 new jobs. Due to the anticipated increase in automation, many of the retained jobs will be upskilled, creating new opportunities and higher wages for existing employees.

Steuben County IDA partnered with Empire State Development and New York State Electric and Gas to develop a comprehensive economic development package which included grant assistance, Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits, and property and sales tax benefits through the IDA.

With global competition from overseas entities, the company saw a need to increase efficiencies through strategic investments. These improvements will be made over a four-year period.

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PHASE II REDEVELOPMENT UNDERWAY AT CORNING HOSPITAL SITE

Phase II of the former Corning Hospital Redevelopment Project is underway. Guthrie completed demolition and site remediation on the former hospital site in late October, paving the way for Riedman Companies/Purcell Construction to begin construction of a market-rate apartment complex on Denison Parkway.

The $15.2 million project is the first of two apartment buildings expected to be built on the site. The three-story building will contain 96 units with a combination of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. Amenities will include a clubroom, movie theater, an outdoor grilling and fire pit area, and a dog park. Construction is expected to take one year with leasing to begin in June of 2019.

The Riedman/Purcell project is part of an overall $35 million investment to redevelop the former Corning Hospital site, which currently is home to Corning Community College's Health Education Center, which opened last year. Earlier this year, First Heritage Federal Credit Union announced it would be constructing a new corporate headquarters building on the site in 2019.

The IDA's sister agency, Steuben Area Economic Development Corporation, administered the Empire State Development grant that was awarded to the project.

The IDA provided property, sales and mortgage tax benefits for this phase of the redevelopment, as the project supports the need for housing as determined by a housing study commissioned in 2017 for the I-86 Innovation Corridor.

The drawings presented are illustrative of characture and design intent only, and are subject to change based upon final design considerations (i.e. applicable codes, structural, and MEP design requirements, unit plan / floor pan changes, etc.)

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176 DENISON

Streetscape Character Study

Riedman Purcell

WORKFORCE CHALLENGES BEING MET HEAD ON

Steuben County IDA has continued to serve in a leadership role for workforce development initiatives in the region. While in 2018 Steuben County recorded its lowest unemployment rate in over a decade, employers continued to struggle to find qualified candidates while facing worker shortages as the population continues to age and outmigration of talent is on the rise.

As the Co-Chair of the I-86 Workforce Coordinating Committee, IDA Executive Director James (Jamie) C. Johnson led the development of the I-86 Innovation Corridor Integrated Workforce Development Strategy, which was adopted earlier this year. The strategy establishes goals and tactics designed to ensure that workforce efforts are well-coordinated and aligned with the regional economy. A detailed labor market analysis, an inventory of educational and training assets, and feedback from public and private sectors were all integral components of the plan.

More than 40 focus groups and one-on-one interviews over a three-month period were held to gain first-hand knowledge of current workforce skills, employer needs and existing educational/training resources. The entire process involved more than 200 community leaders, educators, employers, economic developers, and talent development stakeholders.

The strategy concludes that the I-86 Corridor must develop the 21st century workforce needed by its growing employers. Not only must the region produce a larger pipeline of student graduates, it must also effectively attract and retain workers from outside the region. And, the skills and education of this new workforce must match the growing need for specialized, technical positions that drive corporate competitiveness.

Five key strategies were identified to align talent needs with educational and workforce assets and build capacity within the region.

Talent Retention & Attraction

K-12 Pipeline Programs & Structure

Administrative Entity: Coordinating & Driving

Implementation

Post-Secondary Education Pipeline Programs & Structure

Career Awareness, Engagement of Students, Maximizing Labor

Force Participation

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The Coordinating Committee identified the following as the essential ingredients to achieve the objectives of the plan.

1. Efforts are employer driven to identify education and training needs by industry cluster, and priority job categories for talent recruitment, opportunities for apprenticeships/internships and barriers to employment.

2. Education/training (K-20) is coordinated, responsive, results-oriented and in direct alignment with employer needs.

3. Current and accessible supply/demand analysis is maintained using databases and employer input.

4. Annual priorities for programs, initiatives and funding requests are coordinated.

5. Regional efforts such as job and career awareness campaign and talent recruitment effort are driven.

6. Coordination with related initiatives takes place (i.e., I-86 Vibrant Communities and Finger Lakes Wine Country brand promotion).

7. Benchmarking and tracking performance are conducted via metrics and economic indicators.

8. Constant communication is maintained with employers, funders and the community at-large.

Chief among the strategies identified is the establishment of a workforce development position to coordinate regional efforts and drive strategy implementation while advancing the goals of increased coordination and results.

The position will be responsible for daily implementation of the strategic action plan and priorities established by the I-86 Workforce Coordinating Committee. The search process is underway to identify the most qualified candidate for the position, and it is expected that the new director will be in place in the first quarter of 2019.

Funding for the work was partially provided by Chemung, Schuyler, and Steuben Counties and the respective Economic Development organizations from each. That commitment has remained with each allocating additional funding in 2019 to support implementation.

HEC PROMOTES STUDENT INNOVATION

SUNY Corning Community College's new Health Education Center in the City of Corning was designed to promote collaboration among students in multiple disciplines to encourage innovation. That plan paid off in 2018 when a team of students and advisers from CCC's Community Health and Nursing and Applied Technology programs designed a device intended to help senior adults maintain independent lifestyles

GripM8 (pronounced Grip Mate) is a portable, handheld device with several slots that can hold eating utensils and other objects to allow users with motor control deprivation better flexibility to feed themselves and improve independence with daily living skills.

The CCC group was one of 75 teams to submit an invention for the New York State Department of Health's Aging Innovation Challenge and was the only

team from a community college to advance to the semifinal round of 24 and to the final round of five teams. While the last round of competition takes place on Nov. 29, this success is already being used to develop future workforce development programming at the College.

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FINGER LAKES FAMILY DENTAL TO OPEN

Maria Marzo Brown has offered dental services in the Painted Post area since she purchased an existing practice in 2001. In 2018, Dr. Marzo began construction on a new facility in Erwin to support her growing practice. In addition to general dentistry and complementary services, Dr. Marzo is a licensed prosthodontist, a doctor specializing in the treatment and maintenance of function, comfort, appearance, and health of patients missing teeth or deficient oral and maxillofacial tissues.

Dr. Marzo is the only licensed prosthodontist in Steuben County but currently refers cases outside of the community due to lack of appropriate space to perform procedures. The IDA provided sales and mortgage tax exemptions and a property tax abatement to support the project and allow for these specialty services to be brought in house.

To support these additional services, Dr. Marzo is in the process of building a new, 4,527 sq. ft. dental building in the Town of Erwin. The new "Finger Lakes Family Dental" will employ 22 people full-time, up from the 12 people currently working at the practice, and is anticipated to open by May 2019.

HILTON ADDS TO CORNING NORTHSIDE REVITILIZATION

The City of Corning celebrated the opening of a new, 125-room hotel in August. The Hilton Garden Inn Corning Downtown is located on the City's Northside, one block away from the Corning Museum of Glass and around the corner from a redeveloped Bridge Street.

The five-story building features a full bar, a restaurant currently serving breakfast and dinner, meeting rooms, and

an indoor pool. Over 40 new jobs have been created to support these amenities and the hotel's daily operations.

The IDA was instrumental in securing funding for the project, which came from various sources including Empire State Development through an REDC grant, Senator Tom O'Mara's office and Steuben County IDA.

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CORNING INC'S LOCAL INVESTMENT CONTINUES

The Corning Incorporated C Building has served as an icon in the skyline of the City of Corning for over 60 years. The nine-story structure was built in 1955 as the company's headquarters and has been continuously used as office space supporting various Corning businesses.

In 2018, the Steuben County IDA provided sales tax exemption benefits to support a $25 million investment into the building to fully renovate the interior and exterior of the facility. The investment will modernize the facility, improve reliability and upgrade security of all building infrastructure systems, IT, and media services to current Corning standards. The project also includes the installation of new energy efficient panels that will preserve the current image of the facility but significantly reduce costs to the company.

As the company continuously assesses space to maintain efficiencies, the IDA supported this project to help retain 220 professional jobs in the City Corning.

IDA SUPPORTS EXPANDED HEALTHCARE IN HORNELL

In 2018, Steuben County IDA continued to support investments in healthcare in the Hornell Community by expanding previously approved benefits to the Hornell Medical Village. The IDA granted additional sales tax assistance to the project to support tenant build out to provide critical medical services in support of the new St. James Mercy Hospital currently being constructed. The various tenant improvements will allow for a complete and full range of medical services not currently available to the community at large, all in a one-stop service location. These services range from primary and critical care, to orthopedics, cardiology, physical therapy, pediatrics, dentistry, and women's health and imaging.

Working closely with the University of Rochester Medical Center, the Hornell Medical Village project brings together primary care, specialists, emergency medicine, outpatient surgery, and more on one healthcare campus. The expanded benefits from the IDA will support 34 additional jobs and further redevelop the former K-mart shopping plaza in the Town of Hornellsville.

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TRAVEL BLOGGERS MEET IN STEUBEN COUNTY

The IDA took advantage of the exposure created by the conference to broaden its promotion of the community. By actively participating in the social media exchanges leading up to and during the conference, the IDA was able to deliver its message to a global audience that Steuben County is a great place to invest and live. The continued use of social media platforms such as Twitter and LinkedIn have allowed IDA staff to promote the community and broaden its marketing efforts.

Steuben County IDA continued to broaden its social media marketing presence by participating in the TBEX North America 2018 Conference in Corning. On September 12, over 600 travel bloggers, influencers and content creators from 26 countries descended upon the Corning Museum of Glass to kick off the conference. TBEX, or Travel Bloggers Exchange, is an annual event designed to highlight new travel opportunities for those who write about them, while also offering educational content and networking events.

Hosted by Finger Lakes Wine Country, the conference provided an opportunity for regional service providers to increase their social media standing through Twitter and Instagram. Not only did the 627 attendees learn about the Finger Lakes and all its offerings, but the hashtag #myFLXtbex was seen in posts by over 13 million people! Those posts were viewed over 145 million times, meaning that each person saw a post about 11 times on average, thereby instilling the Finger Lakes name in their minds.

In addition to the immediate name recognition created by the hashtag, travel bloggers will be writing, tweeting and posting photos about their experiences and the travel opportunities available in Steuben County and the region for months to come, and many will return to further explore the community.

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