Suffolk County IDA

Innovating the Talent Pipeline: A New Dawn for Long Island’s Workforce Development

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Rich Humann, President & CEO at H2M architects + engineers, and an HIA-LI board member, moderated the panel.

The much-anticipated report, “Innovating the Talent Pipeline: Strategies for Workforce Development in the Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge,” was unveiled at HIA-LI’s “Workforce Development Conference and Scholarship Awards” event on October 13, 2023, at Farmingdale State College. This report is a testament to our commitment, as outlined in my June 5, 2023 blog post, to address the skills gap on Long Island.

The Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge (LI-IPH), the Northeast’s largest industrial park, is a beacon of regional economic strength, with over 1,300 companies and employing more than 55,000 workers. However, the challenge of a skilled workforce shortage looms large. This report, a collaborative effort between HIA-LI, the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency (IDA), and the Workforce Development Institute (WDI), provides a roadmap to ensure the long-term resilience and competitiveness of the Long Island business sector.

James Lima Planning + Development, a renowned a New York City-based planning, real estate, and economic advisory firm, undertook the strategic analysis. Their comprehensive study, based on surveys from 34 Long Island employers, sheds light on the skills and talent needs of businesses, with a special focus on the LI-IPH.

The report’s findings are both insightful and actionable. It emphasizes the importance of:

  1. Access and Awareness: An island-wide campaign to promote resources such as adult English classes, career support, and job fairs.
  2. Strengthening Industry-Academia Partnerships: Encouraging project-based learning, AI tools, and best practices in the manufacturing sector.
  3. Promoting Intra- and Cross-Sector Collaborations: Highlighting best practices, foreign language support, and software training.
  4. Fostering a Learning and Advancement Culture: Championing mentorship initiatives and branded learning programs.
  5. Building Affordable and Attractive Communities: Advocating for workforce housing and transit-oriented development.

I’d like to extend my gratitude to the panelists and contributors who made this event and report possible. Their insights and expertise have been invaluable.

And of course, a special thanks to our partners in this effort: Kelly Murphy, Acting Executive Director of the Suffolk County IDA, and Robyn Fellrath, Long Island Regional Director at the Workforce Development Institute. We couldn’t have done this without their steadfast support.

Another highlight of the morning was the Scholarship Awards ceremony. This initiative is more than just financial assistance; it’s a commitment to the future of Long Island. By providing scholarships to high school graduates who choose to pursue their college studies here on Long Island, we’re not only investing in their education but also fostering a sense of community and continuity. It’s a clear message: we believe in the potential of our young minds and the promise they hold for our region’s future.

It’s also a testament to our dedication to keeping local talent local. By incentivizing our youth to study and subsequently work in the Nassau-Suffolk region, we’re ensuring a steady stream of skilled professionals who are familiar with the unique challenges and opportunities here on Long Island. These young individuals, equipped with local knowledge and a world-class education, will be the driving force behind Long Island’s continued economic growth and innovation.

In conclusion, as the President and CEO of HIA-LI, I am proud of this monumental step towards bridging the skills gap on Long Island. The recommendations in this report are not just words on paper; they are a call to action. Together, we can ensure a vibrant, resilient, and future-ready regional economy.

Government Offers Immediate Funding to Promote Business Success

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From left: Rosalie Drago, Commissioner, Suffolk County Department of Labor; Kelly Murphy, Deputy Executive Director, Suffolk County IDA, and; Cara Longworth, Regional Director, Empire State Development.

The public sector stands ready to provide immediate financial assistance to help Long Island companies achieve their goals and fulfill their workforce needs.

HIA-LI works closely with officials at all levels of government to bring these resources to the attention of our members and to help members take advantage of a wide range of public-sector assistance programs.

Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with three government officials whose agencies have an outstanding track record of success in providing financial support to local businesses. They are:

These three entities are true partners of Long Island business. Let’s take a quick look at what each has to offer:

Empire State Development isthe state’s main arm for economic development. It encourages business growth and investment, job growth, and a diversified economy through loans, grants, tax credits, marketing, minority/women-owned business support, workforce development, technical support, export assistance, COVID support, and other business-friendly tools.

Long Island’s Regional Economic Development Council channels State resources pursuant to a regional strategic plan. And to make the process highly efficient, Cara’s office uses a “Consolidated Funding Application.” It enables businesses to tap into multiple sources of funds through a single application

The Suffolk County Department of Labor supports business growth through recruitment services and hiring incentives, and also with economic and labor market data. The department serves workers directly through job training, job development, placement, and supportive services.

While Empire State Development can provide funding for businesses to create jobs, the County Labor Department’s key role is to draw talent to companies and to get them ready for work.

Rosalie wants to hear from business about gaps in the workforce. Her agency’s funds are then used to train the talent pool. She works with local training providers – including local colleges and trade schools – to train existing workers and the emerging workforce for available jobs.

The Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency serves the entire county except the towns of Brookhaven, Islip, Riverhead, and Babylon, which have their own IDAs. Suffolk IDA promotes and attracts job and recreational opportunities. It targets companies wishing to remain or expand in Suffolk, or to move into the county. The types of industries the IDA generally helps are in manufacturing, distribution, R&D, and warehousing in addition to energy projects and multifamily housing.

Kelly’s agency, which often enhances its aid packages with incentives from PSEG and National Grid, offers three main forms of assistance: reductions in the mortgage recording tax, sales tax exemptions, and property tax exemptions.

For a link to the video of my conversation with these three remarkable women, click here. You can also listen to the conversation on my podcast, “Business Steps Up,” by clicking here.

And here’s their contact information:

Empire State Development (ESD)
Cara Longworth, Regional Director
LIREDC@esd.ny.gov
631-435-0717

Suffolk County Department of Labor (DOL)
Rosalie Drago, Commissioner
rosalie.drago@suffolkcountyny.gov
diane.lachapelle@suffolkcountyny.gov
631-853-6600

Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency (IDA)
Kelly Murphy, Deputy Executive Director
kelly.murphy@suffolkcountyny.gov
631-853-4802

I urge HIA-LI members and all local businesses to learn about the financing and services these agencies offer and to contact them. They really want you to hear from you!

Folks, this is “money on the table” that will help your business succeed. Take advantage of it!

Women to Talk Business at Friday’s Executive Leadership Event

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Women are steadily increasing their ranks among business leaders overall.

Yet despite growing numbers, female entrepreneurs still face challenges in the corporate workplace.

They confront hurdles in striking the right work-life balance. They often need to look harder to obtain the right kind of mentoring. And the pandemic further complicated women’s pathways to business success.

What are the solutions? What best practices can we point to? And how does this all play out on Long Island?

This Friday morning, November 19, we’ll have an opportunity to get some answers.

A panel of high-achieving Long Island businesswomen will talk through issues like this at HIA-LI’s 11th Annual “Women Leading the Way” executive leadership event. It takes place at the LGBT Network at 125 Kennedy Drive, Suite 100 in Hauppauge. 

The panel, running from 8:00 am to 10:00 am, will be moderated by Domenique Camacho-Moran, a Partner with Farrell Fritz PC. Panelists include Lisa Mirabile, President and CEO of Vertigo Media Group; Karen Boorshtein, President and CEO of Family Service League; Lauren Nichols, President of 3G Warehouse, Inc.; and Natalie Wright, Suffolk County’s Commissioner of Economic Development and Planning.

Happily, the numbers for women executives are encouraging. Looking at census bureau data, the number of women-owned businesses nationwide increased 21 percent between 2014 and 2019, while all businesses increased nine percent. More than ten million women-owned firms generated $1.9 trillion in sales and employed 13 million people.

The idea that HIA-LI should host an annual forum to tackle woman-centered business issues was originally suggested by U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in 2010.

“Women Leading the Way” also features a craft fair.

Attendees may take part in person or via Zoom. The registration fee is $50 for in-person attendance, and $25 for virtual participation.

Vendors wishing to exhibit at the craft fair should contact HIA-LI at 631-543-5355.

The event is sponsored by Farrell Fritz, PC; People’s Alliance Federal Credit Union; Campolo, Middleton McCormick, LLP; Brookhaven National Laboratory; the LGBT Network; Signwave; City National Bank; LITimes.org; Mark Grossman Public Relations; WSHU Public Radio; and IHOP. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Anthony Forgione at aforgione@hia-li.org.

Per CDC guidelines, those not fully vaccinated will be required to wear a face mask.

To register, go to https://www.hia-li.org/events/hia-lis-11th-annual-womens-leadership-program/ or call 631-543-5355. I look forward to seeing you then!

Federal Funds Needed to Stimulate Economy and Close Covid-19 Counties Budget Gap

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With great enthusiasm, HIA-LI has supported and thanked the thousands of valiant healthcare workers who do so much to maintain our health. But, as a business organization, our primary focus is on the pandemic’s economic impact.

ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE text with notepad, keyboard, decorative vase, fountain pen, calculator and banknotes currency on wooden background

The COVID-19 pandemic pulls at Long Islanders in two major ways: it affects our health, and it affects our economy.

That’s why we need the federal government to step up – to be a true partner in our economic recovery. Here’s how Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone describes the potential economic impact:

“It’s the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane striking us here. Except, in this case, the hurricane stays for months, instead of passing in 24 hours.”

He was characterizing the concerning data found in an economic analysis titled “2020 Nassau + Suffolk Covid-19 Economic Impact” co-sponsored by the Nassau County IDA and Suffolk County IDA with input from HIA-LI, Hofstra University, and the Association for a Better Long Island. It was written by the strategic advisory firm, HR&A.

The report concluded that Long Island could lose up to 28 percent of our region’s jobs by year’s end because of the coronavirus and subsequent economic shutdown.

As Newsday reported, “the estimated net loss of up to 375,000 jobs stems from businesses never reopening, and from many of those that do reopen not being able to recall all the workers…laid off or furloughed.”

And that’s why HIA-LI has joined forces with Mr. Bellone, his Nassau County counterpart, Laura Curran, and other influential business leaders to call upon our federal representatives to request $2 billion in direct funding to Nassau and Suffolk counties in the next federal relief bill.

With severe losses in tax revenues associated with the spread of COVID-19, the two counties together face a near $3 billion budget gap. That’s just a fraction of the $61 billion dip in economic business activity the report cites.

For Long Island businesses to stay strong and continue to work hard to reshape and reinvent our organizations, local government needs to have the resources to continue to support our efforts.

The business sector knows that many vital services depend upon our economic health. Sales taxes, for example, fund first responders, police officers, and public health nurses. Hotel taxes help fund our tourism promotion agency, Discover Long Island, an essential player in our region’s economic recovery. Only by working together – hand-in-hand with fiscally stable and strong county governments – can we position ourselves for a true recovery.

HIA-LI urges you to contact your Senators and House Members right away. Tell them that Nassau and Suffolk counties need federal disaster assistance in order to help the business community recover from this pandemic.

Name

Phone

Send a Message

Sen. Charles Schumer

(202) 224-6542

https://www.schumer.senate.gov/contact/email-chuck

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

(202) 224-4451

Email Kirsten

Rep. Lee Zeldin

(202) 225-3826

https://zeldin.house.gov/contact/

Rep. Peter King

(202) 225-7896

https://peteking.house.gov/contact

Rep. Thomas Suozzi

(202) 225-3335

https://suozzi.house.gov/contact

Rep. Kathleen Rice

(202) 225-5516

https://kathleenrice.house.gov/contact

Rep. Gregory Meeks

(202) 225-3461

https://meeks.house.gov/contact

Tune Into HIA-LI “Live” This Thursday

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Alessi@TSN
Terri Alessi-Miceli, President and CEO of HIA-LI, on the set of the Streamcast Network with Cliff Sobel in a Facebook Live program produced earlier this year.

Here’s a way you can get involved in HIA-LI without leaving the comfort of your desk.

This Thursday, October 17, 2019 at 11:00am, HIA-LI – in collaboration with The Streamcast Network – will be hosting an interactive livestream panel on Facebook and on our website’s home page.

Joining me on the panel will be Joe Campolo, Chair, HIA-LI and Managing Partner, Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP; Kelly Morris, Deputy Executive Director, Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency; Hon. Ed Wehrheim, Supervisor, Town of Smithtown (tentative); and Yuxiang Luo, Director, James Lima Planning + Development (JLP+D), who will be joining us remotely from New York City.  JLP+D is the firm that developed the “opportunity analysis” that is now serving as a blueprint for growth of the Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge.

This initiative is part of an overall effort to reach out to the Long Island business community and beyond.  Just two weeks ago we launched an initiative – funded in part with a grant from the National Grid Cooperative Business Recruitment Program – to promote the Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge to the Greater New York City metropolitan area.  We are currently running TV commercials, radio spots, and sending blast emails to CEOs and decision makers in New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Lower Hudson Valley.

We are grateful to Cliff Sobel, Founder and Executive Producer of The Streamcast Network – with studios in East Northport – for partnering with us and providing this unique opportunity.  You can learn more about them at http://streamcastnetwork.com.

So, please tune-in at 11:00am this Thursday, October 17 by going to:

And please bring your questions and comments.  Viewers on Facebook will be able to participate interactively by asking questions and providing comments directly to panelists by typing into Facebook’s “Write a Comment” section.

New Workforce Training Center Takes a Big Stride Forward

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Group shot at LIRPC.
At the July 11, 2019 LIRPC meeting, from left: Richard V. Guardino, Executive Director, Long Island Regional Planning Council; Joe Campolo, Board Chair, HIA-LI, and Managing Partner, Campolo Middleton & McCormick, LLP;  Carol A. Allen, Second Vice Chair, HIA-LI, and President & CEO, People’s Alliance Federal Credit Union; Terri Alessi-Miceli, President & CEO, HIA-LI; Kelly Morris, Deputy Executive Director, Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency; and, John D. Cameron, Jr., P.E., Chair, Long Island Regional Planning Council, and Managing Partner, Cameron Engineering & Associates, LLP.

Let’s overcome two big challenges at the same time:

First, Long Island obviously needs our most promising companies and business sectors to grow and thrive here.

And second, equally obvious, is that our region needs our most talented, young workers to stay here, build their careers here, and raise their families here.

So, what if a single strategic initiative were able to take on both of these challenges at the same time?

What if we could create a new competitive asset that would function along the lines of a skills “matchmaker” at a strategic level? This entity would view Long Island’s talent needs through a supply-and-demand lens. It would align the skills of our regional workforce with the specific capabilities demanded by our most-promising companies.

Everyone would win.

Well, the good news is that such a facility is now taking shape right here at the Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge, until recently known as the Hauppauge Industrial Park.

As part of a strategic initiative spearheaded by HIA-LI, the Long Island Regional Planning Council (LIRPC) has just signed a consulting contract advancing development of a new workforce training center – to be located right here.

Under the contract, New York City-based James Lima Planning + Development (JLP+D) will implement some initial steps to facilitate the launch of such a facility.

JLP+D will analyze industry categories and ecosystems, and match them against regional demographic trends. They’ll produce a “skills gap” analysis that will help shape the future center’s curriculum, its organizational and physical structure, and an action timeline.

The Lima team will also examine ways to unify the energies of government agencies, business organizations, and academic institutions to help ensure that the new center achieves its vital mission.

JLP+D is superbly qualified for such an assignment. Last April, they worked together with HIA-LI, the Regional Plan Association, and the Suffolk IDA to complete a comprehensive, 160-page “opportunity analysis” setting forth a strategy for maximizing our Park’s potential as a regional economic powerhouse.

LIRPC Chairman John Cameron, its Executive Director Richard Guardino, Suffolk IDA Chair Theresa Ward, IDA Deputy Executive Director Kelly Morris, and HIA-LI Chair Joe Campolo all deserve credit for their leadership on this important workforce initiative.

The new training center is destined to deliver benefits to our members and to Long Island as a whole for decades to come. Let’s all do everything we can to make it a success.

Partnership Between HIA-LI and Town of Smithtown Delivers Long-Term Benefits to the Hauppauge Industrial Park

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20190312_102207 (1)
HIA-LI President & CEO Terri Alessi-Miceli is interviewed with Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim for an upcoming episode of Smithtown Spotlight.

Especially at the local level, you can’t underestimate the importance of the relationship between business and government.

We see it all the time at HIA-LI, where our ability to meet the day-to-day needs of our members – and to achieve our long-term goals – depends upon the quality of our interactions with local municipalities.

The large majority of the Hauppauge Industrial Park (HIP) is situated within the Town of Smithtown, with the balance in the Town of Islip. Happily, we enjoy vigorous support from the elected leaders of both towns.

They are Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim and Town of Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter. Both deserve great credit for their support for the Park.

I recently was privileged to join one of these two officials, Supervisor Wehrheim, as a guest on Smithtown Spotlight, on Channel 18 in Smithtown, which is scheduled to air in April 2019.

During the interview, he repeatedly underscored the value of the Town of Smithtown’s partnership relationship with the HIA-LI and the Park.

“From ‘day one,’ we realized how important the Hauppauge Industrial Park is to the sustainability of Smithtown itself,” the Supervisor – elected in November 2017 – said. “There’s a great opportunity for us to partner, and we went full steam ahead to make sure that this happened in this administration.”

Living up to his commitment, for example, Supervisor Wehrheim has been a regular presence at HIP Task Force meetings and activities, where we are devising ways to maximize growth and competitiveness. Institutional participants include Stony Brook University, the Suffolk County IDA, and the Regional Plan Association.

In the past, the Town had done much road reconstruction work associated with the County’s sewer expansion in the Park. I was very pleased to learn that the Supervisor budgeted for several much-needed infrastructure projects including widening Adams Avenue, improving New Highway, upgrading traffic signals, adding new sidewalks, and removing outdated-looking wooden poles. And going forward, future capital improvements, he said, would be budgeted in on an annual basis.

“Even though it is infrastructure work,” he said, “these are all things that will aesthetically make the park very pleasing to business people when they come in to look at it.”

In 2018, Smithtown gave the green light to 740,000 square feet of commercial development in the Park.

Zoning changes have boosted building height limits from 35 feet to 62 feet high along Motor Parkway, with the future prospect of higher structures more deeply into the park.

“New height requirements are going to bring more high-tech businesses to the Park,” he said.

The Supervisor and I also discussed our HIP re-branding initiative which includes a possible name change for Park.  We also talked about potential zoning changes to allow residential development within the HIP.

Supervisor Wehrheim offered some concrete evidence of the Park’s fiscal value for the Town:

“We just received a Triple-A bond rating from Moody’s, the highest level that can be attained,” he said.

Moody’s cited HIP’s value in evaluating the Town’s creditworthiness, as well as Smithtown’s “partner” relationship with the Park.

With some 55,000 employees, HIP represents some $19.6 million in total tax assessed value and generates about $14 billion in annual sales.

“I see great, great things happening in the future, for the Park and for Smithtown as a whole,” said Supervisor Wehrheim. “And working with Terri has been a pleasure. It’s a great relationship to specifically accomplish great things.

“As a partnership, we’ve really stirred up some real interest and I think it’s going to continue,” he said. “At least I’m going to put all my efforts into making that happen.”

Honoring Those Who Helped Us Reach 40

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All right, time to put yourself in my shoes for a minute – and picture how exciting it is to witness HIA-LI’s dedicated staffers and volunteers finalizing preparations for Thursday’s 40th Anniversary Gala at the Stonebridge Country Club in Hauppauge.

We’re all busy getting ready for a delightful night of dinner, dancing, and nostalgia at this wonderful venue.

HIA-LI will celebrate four decades of commitment to enhancing Long Island’s economic climate and expanding growth opportunities for our members.

But the high point will come when we join to recognize four honorees for their leadership and dedication to Long Island.

We’ll be honoring:

• Jack Kulka, an HIA-LI Lifetime Board Member and President and Founder of The Kulka Group. In 1978 when the Hauppauge Industrial Park experienced a three-day power outage, Jack Kulka was one of our original founders – along with several other business owners – who helped form the Hauppauge Industrial Association to advocate for the Park’s interests and for the Long Island business community. Jack was one of the first to envision Hauppauge as a major business crossroads for our region.

The Kulka Group is a highly regarded developer of waterfront residences, community complexes, retail and industrial centers, hotels, and corporate offices.

• The Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency, which has an extraordinary record of success helping local companies expand or renovate, build or add new facilities, or relocate to Suffolk County. In the past three years alone, the IDA has helped to create or retain 5,600 jobs – and leveraged some $454 million in private investment.

Currently the Suffolk IDA is partnering with HIA-LI to build the future of the Hauppauge Industrial Park, the largest in the Northeast with over 55,000 employees and 1,300 companies.

• The Miller Business Center, a regional resource for businesses, entrepreneurs and not-for-profits. Located within Middle Country Public Library in Centereach, the center provides HIA-LI members with valuable business resources and personalized research support.

• The Town of Smithtown, home base for the vast majority of the Hauppauge Industrial Park. Under former Supervisor Pat Vecchio and now Supervisor Edward Wehrheim, the Town has continued to be enormously supportive of HIA-LI by helping us navigate zoning challenges and leverage a myriad of infrastructure improvements.

OK, so now that you’ve worn my shoes for a minute, it’s time to change into your dancing shoes – for some fun at Thursday’s Gala!

Festivities begin at 6 pm – and I look forward to seeing you there!