President’s Message: June, 2020

As we enter the summer and Phase 3 of the reopening of the Capital Region’s economy, we are starting to see glimmers of the “normal” way of life we knew before the coronavirus pandemic. People are at restaurants and beaches. We are getting haircuts and shopping at stores. At the same time, we are seeing the fruits of several Center for Economic Initiatives that began both before and after the lockdown. A few examples include: 

We awarded 41 grants to local small businesses through the $150,000 Capital Region Urban Core MWBE Small Business Emergency Relief Grant program

We continued the CEG COVID-19 Webinar Series. Since April, we’ve hosted nine webinars, with the most resent set addressing thermal technology in the workplace and workplace cleaning and sanitation.

CEG, in partnership with SUNY Schenectady and Albany Can Code, graduated the region’s first software developer apprentices this spring. The apprentices hailed from Jahnel Group, Troy Web, and MVP Healthcare. CEG is currently working with other software and IT companies to launch programs in Data Analyst and Computer Support Technician, which should come online this fall.

The Capital Region Manufacturing Re-Start Program, which we launched with the Chief Executives Network for Manufacturing (CEN) to help manufacturers enhance worker safety on shop floors in Phase 1, has grown to 11 participants.

Our industry attraction efforts continue to gain momentum. Later this month we will be hosting a webinar with NYSERDA and Ørsted – a global leader in offshore wind development – for a discussion on how New York and Capital Region are working to be the hub of this new industry in the United States.

We are working to expand many of these programs and will be rolling out more. We are working to stabilize our regional economy and to seize every opportunity we can. And we thank you for your continued support of CEG and the Capital Region.

#CapitalRegionResilience