BEST OF HUDSON VALLEY 2010

Just a few weeks ago I had the privilege of attending the annual Best Of Hudson Valley party in Poughkeepsie. As a guest of one of the winners, Terry Bernardo invited me to come down and see this event for myself.

Terry was just one of the high percentage of Ulster County winners who had displays set up at the expo. I actually dared to experience the palates "rack" infront of an audience. Lets just say, I better get to the gym soon.

It was a good avenue for exposure for many quality merchants in the region and HV Magazine did a good job here and in their publication. With so many restaurants from New Paltz, Stone Ridge, Rosendale and Kingston as well as the wineries and breweries, there was plenty to sample through the night.

So I took a few pictures of my own to accompany the great video HVMag produced from the 2009 party. Many thanks to the sponsors and to the magazine staff for a steady source of what is available in the region. Looking forward to next year.

EMPIRE STATE DEVELOPMENT: MID-HUDSON

According to AP reports: Empire State Development has hired Susan Jaffe to lead its economic development efforts in the mid-Hudson.

Jaffe was most recently vice president of the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development.

With ESD, she will serve as regional director for Orange, Ulster, Sullivan, Westchester, Rockland, Dutchess and Putnam counties. Empire State Development is New York’s chief economic development agency.

The ESD continually partners with public and private organizations, consulting on the avenues to better develop the resources available to each region. The staff has worked collaboratively with personnel at many manufacturing and technology start-ups throughout New York State.

Most note worthy, this organization has helped fund numerous business expansion and retention projects through its various lending and grant programs. In recent years ESD has also contributed significantly to work force development through its training grant programs and the Industrial Effectiveness Program (IEP) and the Environmental Investment Program (EIP).

With Ms Jaffe being elevated from a similar position in Sullivan County to manage this region's job growth, we are expecting her to build on the success of her predecessors. I'm sure she will be making an appearance before Ulster County's 16th Legislature early in the new year.