Operation Oswego County hosts manufacturing and small business summits, state grants workshop and annual economic development awards
by Austin Wheelock | ooc@oswegocounty.org
In the economic development world, business outreach and communication is more important than ever.
With so much information available at our fingertips via the internet and much of it conflicting, it can be confusing for business leaders and entrepreneurs to understand the various programs and services available to local businesses.
To help cut through the noise, Operation Oswego County, Inc. has added two new informational events to its countywide business outreach activities so decision makers can hear directly from economic development and workforce partners about the programs and services that are available and so businesses have a forum to talk to local and state leaders about their opportunities and challenges.
These events build on existing Operation Oswego County business outreach and promotion initiatives in 2024, including co-hosting an annual state grant informational workshop for Oswego County businesses, organizations and municipalities through the Consolidated Funding Application as well as presenting the 2024 Economic Development Awards at the OOC Annual Meeting.
Manufacturing Summit
On April 17, Operation Oswego County in collaboration with economic development and workforce development partners, will host “The Summit: Oswego County Manufacturing 2024.”
The event will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Riverside Banquet Room at Steamers in the city of Oswego and will explore programs and services tailored to elevate the current and future manufacturing business ecosystem in Oswego County.
With the aim of fostering collaboration and innovation, this summit will serve as a strategic platform to address challenges faced by the industry while identifying opportunities for growth and sustainability.
Participants can expect to hear about the latest financing, incentives and workforce programs available to their manufacturing business. Attendees will be able to hear from more than 10 economic development and business service partners at the event including Operation Oswego County, Oswego County Workforce NY, Train, Develop, Optimize (TDO), the County of Oswego Industrial Development Agency, Empire State Development, the Small Business Administration, National Grid, CenterState CEO, Manufacturers Association of Central New York (MACNY), Workforce Development Institute and the Onondaga Small Business Development Center.
Attendees must RSVP in order to attend, as seating is limited. Individuals, employers and companies interested in participating can register online at https://bit.ly/thesummitmanufacturing or contact Alex Fitzpatrick at Operation Oswego County.
State CFA grant & tax credit informational workshop
An informational workshop on New York state grant and other incentive programs for businesses, organizations and municipalities will be held in Oswego County from 3 – 5 p.m., Wednesday, June 5. The location will be announced soon.
Daniel Kolinski, regional director at Empire State Development in Central New York and his expert staff will provide an overview of the hundreds of millions of dollars in economic and community development funding opportunities available in this year’s Round XIV Consolidated Funding Application. In addition to discussing the ESD Grant and Tax Credit programs that make funds accessible to eligible new and expanding businesses, Kolinski will also provide information on some of the other grant funding initiatives in this year’s state budget including the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and New York Forward programs, community development and quality of place enhancement grants through various state departments. Following the presentation, he and his staff will provide time to answer questions from the attendees.
Small business summit
OOC is also planning an Oswego County Small Business Summit this fall, tentatively scheduled for Oct. 9 at Tailwater Lodge in Albion.
This event will explore the various financing and incentive programs available to small businesses as well as introduce many experts presenting best practices for marketing, accounting and sales.
The Small Business Summit will be open to all Oswego County small business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, business service professionals and community leaders. For more information or interest in being a presenter, reach out to Operation Oswego County.
OOC annual economic development awards
At OOC’s Annual Meeting on June 13 at the Lake Ontario Event and Conference Center in Oswego, the 2024 Economic Development Awards will be presented to Oswego County businesses, organizations, entrepreneurs and individuals that made a significant contribution or impact on economic development in Oswego County.
Previous winners from 2023 included Felix Schoeller North America, St. Luke Health Services, SUNY Oswego, Brendan Backus, Kevin Dates and Stephen Dates of Lock 1 Distillery and Thomas Greco.
The event will also celebrate economic development projects and initiatives from the past year and will provide attendees and the media a preview of current and future projects happening around Oswego County including the partners and programs that are helping them to grow and expand. More information on the 2024 OOC Annual Meeting and Economic Development Awards will be available in the near future and posted at www.oswegocounty.org
Operation Oswego County continues to develop new events and initiatives to get information to business leaders and owners about the programs that are available within their industry.
If you’re a business decision maker and need to speak to someone about financing, incentives, sites, workforce or other challenges facing your company, please reach out to OOC by phone at 315-343-1545 or by email at ooc@oswegocounty.org
Austin M. Wheelock, certified economic developer (CEcD), is the executive director of Operation Oswego County, Inc. For more information, call 315-343-1545 or visit www.oswegocounty.org.
