{"id":34581,"date":"2020-03-05T15:35:38","date_gmt":"2020-03-05T20:35:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/?p=34581"},"modified":"2020-03-05T22:46:32","modified_gmt":"2020-03-06T03:46:32","slug":"new-ceo-of-saratoga-prosperity-partnership-has-passion-to-help-business-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2020\/03\/new-ceo-of-saratoga-prosperity-partnership-has-passion-to-help-business-communities\/","title":{"rendered":"New CEO Of Saratoga Prosperity Partnership Has Passion To Help Business Communities"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Shelby Schneider is the president\/CEO of the Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Christine Graf
\nA shortage of new, young talent in the workforce is one of the issues the Saratoga Prosperity Partnership deals with, said Shelby Schneider, its new president and CEO.
\nThe economic development organization was established in 2014 to enhance economic growth in Saratoga County.
\nSchneider, a mother of four who lives in Wilton, earned a degree in management and business administration from Skidmore College. She entered the economic development field in 2000 and spent thirteen years working at Saratoga Economic Development Corporation (SEDC). During her early years at SEDC, she served as the Empire Zone Coordinator. The Empire Zone tax incentive program allowed qualified businesses to take advantage of a variety of tax credits.
\n\u201cI oversaw the New York state tax incentive program and administered it on behalf of county,\u201d she said. \u201cWe worked with businesses as well as towns, cities, and villages to help grow the economy, attract business, and create jobs. The program was one of the key instrumental tools for attracting GlobalFoundries to New York state.\u201d
\nGlobalFoundries received Empire Zone tax benefits of approximately $586 million, she said. Before it was closed to new applicants in 2010, the program provided tax credits to 4,000 businesses throughout the state.
\n\u201cIt wasn\u2019t just useful for large-attraction projects like GlobalFoundries,\u201d said Schneider. \u201cMany Saratoga County-based existing businesses took advantage of the program so that we could attract additional capital investment to keep those businesses viable.\u201d
\nSchneider left SEDC in 2013 to become the national marketing director for Shmaltz Brewing Co. in Clifton Park. While at Shmaltz, she helped create a workforce development program to train entry level brewers and support the craft brewing industry.
\nIn 2016, she returned to the economic development arena after accepting a position at the Prosperity Partnership. She began her career there as the director of business retention and expansion. She took the helm of the organization after former president Marty Vanags resigned at the beginning of 2020. The Prosperity Partnership has two employees in addition to Schneider.
\n\u201cWe are a local development corporation that was created by Saratoga County to grow our economy and support our communities in key sectors throughout Saratoga County,\u201d she said. \u201cSectors including manufacturing, agriculture, and office support. Our intent is to attract investment and jobs and essentially plan for a prosperous future in Saratoga County. We also want to capitalize on the next wave of opportunity that should come as a result of the Luther Forest Technology Campus being developed and GlobalFoundries coming to Saratoga County.\u201d
\nAs part of a Next Wave Communities Initiative, the Prosperity Partnership works with communities to formulate economic development plans and plan for future economic growth. Schneider said having economic development plans makes it easier for communities to apply for grants.
\n\u201cWe help them to understand what their assets are, get a comprehensive idea of what their tax base looks like, and position themselves for opportunities in the future,\u201d she said. \u201cThat positioning helps them plan for infrastructure, site development, and provides a process of predictability so that businesses looking at the community know how to do business there essentially. It\u2019s helping a community know what it wants and how to position itself for economic growth.\u201d
\nThe Prosperity Partnership also works with small, medium and large businesses. For example, they offer assistance with business retention, business expansion, workforce development, and business plan preparation.
\n\u201cWe have a broad list of contacts and partners that we bring to the table depending on what the need is,\u201d she said. \u201cOur relationships are very important, as is our understanding of the business community and resources that are needed to be successful. There are so many tools and resources to assist small businesses.\u201d
\nAccording to Schneider, a nationwide skills gap is one of the biggest challenges faced by local businesses.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a real demographic challenge across the U.S.,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s called \u201cthe silver wave.\u201d Baby Boomers are retiring faster than we can backfill the positions with people who have skills they are leaving behind. We are finding that with GenX and Millennials that the skills they have been taught or careers they have been educated for don\u2019t always align with what\u2019s needed out in the workforce. When we do outreach and surveys, one of the key critical issues that everyone is facing is a talent shortage. We need to work hard to address this to ensure that our employers have the workforce they need.\u201d
\nIn order to do that, the Prosperity Partnership is working closely with workforce development systems at the state, regional and local levels. They are also working with institutes of higher education.
\n\u201cWe are aligning our resources to help solve these challenges for our employers,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are working with our K- through-12 system, community colleges, and employers. We are sharing critical needs so that we are training properly.\u201d
\nAs an example, she mentioned the P-TECH (Pathway to Technology Early College High School) program. The Capital Region P-TECH, a program that begins in grade 9, is led by Capital Region BOCES. It is focused on engaging students in hands-on,\u00a0project-based learning to help them prepare for careers in\u00a0science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Schneider\u2019s own son recently enrolled in the program at Saratoga Springs School District.
\n\u201cHad I not been in the field of economic development, I would probably not know how beneficial these programs are,\u201d she said. \u201cThey help develop career pathways for students.\u201d
\nThe Prosperity Partnership also works closely with SEDC and the county Board of Supervisors. It was the Board of Supervisors that formed the Prosperity Partnership in 2014. It is funded primarily through the county\u2019s room occupancy tax. Additional funding is provided by grants.
\nIn 2019, the supervisors approved a collaboration between the Prosperity Partnership and SEDC. It allocated $150,000 to SEDC, a private sector, nonprofit, consulting firm that works to retain existing businesses while creating new jobs in Saratoga County.\u00a0SEDC is the first point of contact for business development.
\nAccording to Schneider, the alliance with SEDC is beneficial to both organizations. It allows them to develop a unified economic development approach in Saratoga County.
\n\u201cI am committed to working closely with them to ensure we aren\u2019t duplicating efforts and that we are working together to ensure that businesses have the services that they need to succeed here,\u201d said Schneider. \u201cMy goals are to fulfill the obligations of our unity agreement.\u201d
\nSchneider is passionate about her work.
\n\u201cThe reason I chose this field is that I grew up outside of Amsterdam. My dad worked for GE, and from the time I was a kid, I saw economic decline and industry downsizing,\u201d she said. \u201cI became really aware of the impact that had on a community. I decided that if I was going to stay here (in the Capital Region), I wanted to be part of something bigger that made this a better place to live.\u201d
\nFor more information, visit www.saratogapartnership.org.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Christine Graf A shortage of new, young talent in the workforce is one of the issues the Saratoga Prosperity Partnership deals with, said Shelby Schneider, its new president and CEO. The economic development organization was established in 2014 to enhance economic growth in Saratoga County. Schneider, a mother of four who lives in Wilton, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":196,"featured_media":34582,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economic-development"],"yoast_head":"\r\nNew CEO Of Saratoga Prosperity Partnership Has Passion To Help Business Communities - Saratoga Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2020\/03\/new-ceo-of-saratoga-prosperity-partnership-has-passion-to-help-business-communities\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New CEO Of Saratoga Prosperity Partnership Has Passion To Help Business Communities - Saratoga Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Christine Graf A shortage of new, young talent in the workforce is one of the issues the Saratoga Prosperity Partnership deals with, said Shelby Schneider, its new president and CEO. 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