{"id":18563,"date":"2016-01-08T13:59:51","date_gmt":"2016-01-08T18:59:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2016\/01\/economic-outlook-2016---pete-bardunias.html"},"modified":"2017-11-08T13:46:35","modified_gmt":"2017-11-08T18:46:35","slug":"economic-outlook-2016-pete-bardunias","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2016\/01\/economic-outlook-2016-pete-bardunias\/","title":{"rendered":"Economic Outlook 2016 – Pete Bardunias"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"peter\n<\/div>\n
Pete Bardunias, president\/CEO, Chamber of Southern Saratoga County.\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

BY PETE BARDUNIAS<\/p>\n

The year 2016 is likely to be one of growth for
\nsouthern Saratoga County and the surrounding
\narea.<\/p>\n

Various initiatives are taking hold throughout
\nthe region and some of the plans which have been
\nin the works for awhile are coming to fruition.
\nFrom the perspective of this community, here
\nare some thoughts on what will make this a
\nvery special year in the land just north of the
\nKosciuszko Bridge’s twin spans.<\/p>\n

The “word of the year” should be “workforce.”
\nBusiness leaders and elected officials should be
\nconsidering ways to positively impact the ready
\nworkforce and workforce development situation
\nin the Capital Region. Businesses large and
\nsmall have open positions and are clamoring for
\nemployees with relatively minimal training but
\na strong work ethic and willingness to adapt to a
\nchallenging work environment.<\/p>\n

The number-one question I get asked is “where
\ncan I find people who want to work?”<\/p>\n


\nThis is going to be a great year for anyone who
\nfits that description. There have been countless
\nprograms and a lot of money thrown at this
\nproblem over the years. We need individual connections
\nbetween employers and those seeking
\nmeaningful employment, especially in the sectors
\nof manufacturing, engineering, finance, hospitality
\nand even real estate. Individuals seeking a
\ncareer move are always welcome to attend one
\nof our chamber’s mixers to make new contacts.<\/p>\n

And if you have a child in a southern Saratoga
\nCounty school district and would like to arrange
\na meeting with a local employer, that can be
\narranged through our Education and Business
\nPartnership. There are great opportunities right
\nhere in Tech Valley that don’t require massive student
\nloans or top-of-the-class grades to achieve!<\/p>\n

A year ago we talked about community development–
\na major initiative for us in 2015 which
\nwill continue to be a big one this year. Sometimes
\nthis takes the form of small projects. For instance,
\nhaving a couple of local business volunteers fix
\nand re-paint the bulletin board down at the
\nMechanicville docks. Sometimes this “bottomup”
\napproach ties into a lot of larger things.<\/p>\n

For example, I think we can bring 21st century
\nmanufacturing to the shores of the Hudson River
\nin Halfmoon and perhaps near Schuylerville (in
\naddition to continued efforts to fortify Luther
\nForest further inland).<\/p>\n

When using the words “manufacturing” and
\n“Hudson” in the same sentence, it’s important
\nto be clear that we are talking about modern,
\neconomically and environmentally sustainable
\nmanufacturing and not some attempt to re-create
\nall the mistakes of the 1800s and 1900s. We can
\nattract companies to the area that would take
\nadvantage of intermodal rail\/canal transportation
\nand provide jobs and a stronger tax base to
\nseveral communities.<\/p>\n

We’d need to build a small terminal on the
\nriver, which means we need some clear direction
\nfrom Albany that the canalized Hudson
\nalong Saratoga County’s shores is indeed open
\nfor business and not continually embroiled in
\nenvironmental battles.<\/p>\n

Once we have that done, there are great possibilities
\nfor new industries to spring up on the
\nHudson’s shores. As an example, our 2015 demonstration
\nof the capabilities of the solar powered
\nSolar Sal wasn’t just for show. We believe there is
\na market out there for these boats, to be used as
\nsmall cargo vessels, tour boats, and private yachts.
\nThe challenge is to incubate the business(es) to
\nbuild them. We will be working eagerly towards
\nthis goal under the Saratoga County Community
\nDevelopment Program. Recent efforts towards
\nalternative energy-fueled food distribution
\nmethods would also permit us to mesh with
\nefforts in New York City and companies such as
\nVT Sail Freight, whose sailing barge Ceres made
\nseveral trips in the past few years from Lake
\nChamplain to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, assisted
\nto a large degree by the Chamber of Southern
\nSaratoga County.<\/p>\n

Paying attention to infrastructure is a wise
\nmove in an increasingly cost-conscious business
\nenvironment. We should capitalize on efforts
\ncompanies are making to streamline their supply
\nchains and reduce the cost of manufacturing
\nproducts.<\/p>\n

There was a news story recently that our area’s
\nlargest employer, GE, made some acquisitions to
\nrealize supply chain efficiencies. On the gesustainability.
\ncom website, the company touts an
\naward system “as a way to encourage and reward
\ncollaboration opportunities between GE sourcing
\npersonnel and their suppliers.”<\/p>\n

We should similarly seek ways for area companies
\nto collaborate and, where possible and
\npractical, attract common suppliers and\/or customers
\nto our region. Utilizing all available means
\nof transportation will help facilitate this goal. It
\nmay pay additional dividends in keeping vibrant
\nsome of our legacy industries too – for example
\nMomentive Performance Materials (Waterford)
\nand Cascades Tissue Group (Mechanicville,
\nWaterford) could both benefit from streamlined
\ntransportation services and better infrastructure
\nfor the movement of raw materials, finished
\ngoods, and people.<\/p>\n

Finally, Clifton Park’s new tourism initiative
\npromises to create a powerful resource to promote
\nthe nearly 1,000 hotel rooms of Clifton Park
\n(by 2017) and also fortify the growing downtown
\ncommerce districts of several communities,
\nwithout putting a burden on local taxpayers.
\nHopefully the New York State legislature will pass
\nthe home rule legislation to make this possible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pete Bardunias, president\/CEO, Chamber of Southern Saratoga County. BY PETE BARDUNIAS The year 2016 is likely to be one of growth for southern Saratoga County and the surrounding area. 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