Table of Contents
Cover Story:
Putting All The Pieces Together
County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef keeps Rockland in his sights
as he looks ahead to the Governor's race.
Feature Story:
Everybody's Going Downtown
What four of the county's villages are doing to encourage economic
development.
Feature Story:
The Expo's Coming!
Annual Business-to-Business event partners RBA with Mahwah Regional
Chamber of Commerce.
DEPARTMENTS:
Economics Roundup
• What's Your Investment Behavior?
• Taxes and Long-Term Care Insurance
Business Roundup
• HVCFI Accepting Applicants
• The Fine Art of Advertising
Retail Round-Up
• It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
• New in Town
Ask the Expert
• Human Resources
• Legal Matters
• Workplace Hotline
• Information Technology
Invest in Your Community
• Make-A-Wish Foundation
• JCC-Y of Rockland's Capital Campaign
• Other News
Odds & Ends
• From The Publishers
• PR Patter
• Reaching Out to Small Business
• Rockland Joins the Empire
• Big News for Local Small Businesses
Dedicated Section:
Rockland Business Association:
The President’s Desk
Empire Zone designation, grant programs drive new opportunities for
business.
The Investor Hotline
Avoid these three common mistakes
RBA Happenings
• Other News
• Committee and Council Info
• Calendar of Events
• New Members
Putting
The Pieces Together Vanderhoef keeps Rockland in his sights
as he looks ahead to the Governor’s race
By Ken Mahoney
The county employs over 2,900 people, so in essence, the County Executive is responsible for those jobs and job descriptions. He or she is the CEO of the county, so to speak.
RBD: Your background is in business. You were the president of
the Ramapo Land Company for 13 years before going back into public
office. How has that helped you as County Executive?
Vanderhoef: It’s helped me to understand two critical components. One is that time is valuable. From a business standpoint, time is a cost element and you need to be conscious of it. The second is the idea that efficiency does matter in getting out a product—whether it’s a service or a material product—that’s useable and worthy of the effort you put into it. Both things come from the business side, in a sense, that we recognize in a business community that moving a product and making it valuable to the consumer reaps rewards. It’s not really dissimilar for government, except that you’re not looking for a profit. What you’re looking for is efficiency and an effective way to reach the consumer, which in this case is the taxpayer, as well as those who receive services from any kind of government entity.
RBD: Looking back, what are some of your greatest accomplishments as County Executive?
Vanderhoef: The management and administration of Rockland government has improved, whether it’s getting up to speed with technology, or the effort we’ve put on training our employees and management to be better with less. Residents can sense that services have gotten better, more unified, or easier to get to. Why? We’re tried to turn around what we call a silo-effective government, where each department program does its own thing without necessarily connecting to the particular consumers or residents being served. Our Info-Rock telephone number, which has been up for a couple of years, or our Internet site, or any of those things, is to make the services that we provide more available to the public. So generically that’s important. We’ve done a lot of specific things that I think are important. We’ve certainly improved the climate for business. I think that shows in the fact that we’ve created somewhere near 20,000 jobs in those years. We’ve had ten successive years of private sector growth. Now you compare this with other parts of our state and you’ll find that we’re one of the leaders on that. Part of that is because of the geographic location of Rockland, but a lot of it also comes from the fact that we are a business-friendly community. Our government tries to do good things for the business community and to get them to stay here, maintain them, and encourage them to come in the first place. Once they’re here, we need to provide services. We’re always dealing with the disadvantages of Rockland, which include the high cost of living, but when you look at the countervailing forces, you try to add up the positives.
We’ve certainly improved the climate for business. I think that shows in the fact that we’ve created somewhere near 20,000 jobs in those years. We’ve had ten successive years of private sector growth. Now you compare this with other parts of our state and you’ll find that we’re one of the leaders on that.
RBD: What county provided business resources are under-utilized in Rockland? Are there specific things that companies are not aware of or using fully?
Vanderhoef: Some businesses may not be as aware of some of the tax breaks or benefits, or special programs available to them, either through the REDC or through the RBA, or for that matter, through programs like S.C.O.R.E. We have a number of folks out there to help, especially in small businesses. I think this magazine, Rockland Business Digest can help a lot there by providing a place for businesses to go who are looking for assistance, either in some sort of tax break or how they get through the permitting process. Any of those kinds of issues can often stall businesses from doing what they want to do. It’s not just doing better at governing, but trying to do better at administrating, and therefore, better at serving the public. It’s also innovative programs like the “Helping Space” program where you pick up information on particularly important environmentally sensitive areas such as protection of farmland, protection of history, historical areas, and so on.
RBD: That’s your background, of course, the environment. So you’ve been able to balance business and the environment, which seems to be somewhat of a struggle for a lot of communities.
Vanderhoef: We’re not in the anti-development business, which is to say we want areas to grow and we want them to be developed to provide an economic base. But there are also some other areas, and this is where the balance is required, that are extremely valuable such as parkland or historic areas that are better left to open space for recreational purposes. And that balance is really important. Look, it’s not to stop development, but it’s really to try to ensure that you’ve got a good balance. Having said that, no doubt that open space is one environmental issue that’s important, but it’s also the expansion of the sewer district up in Ramapo, and pushing for a greater amount of water, of course, which will be very, very important in the long-term for both businesses and private sector.
RBD: You’ve had a lot of successes, but are there any disappointments or issues you thought you could change but weren’t able? Were things harder to change than you thought?
Vanderhoef: One of the largest disappointments, I think, has to be the failure to get all the towns to agree to revalue. We wanted—and were willing—to do a reevaluation across the board, and we did put up county money to try to help everyone come to a universal 100% evaluation of properties across the county, so that no one county resident, regardless of what school district you were in or what town you were in, would be taxed more than another resident with a similar piece of property. Which makes sense. The problem was, in the final analysis that we could not get all the towns to agree. As it turns out, each town has since done it themselves or is in the process of doing so, but we’ve had, unfortunately, a number of litigations and other problems because of the taxation and assessment issues, Mirant being one of the larger ones. It has been ongoing and has ‘strapped’ the Rockland county taxpayer because we’ve had to borrow money to keep the school district, towns and villages whole while this thing is litigated.
RBD: Although you’ve announced your candidacy for the Lt. Governor’s race, let’s say you continue to be County Executive. What new initiatives do you see to help businesses in Rockland?
Vanderhoef: There are a lot of things we’re doing. We’re still working on broadband issues and expanding broadband capability. We’re very interested in wireless Internet potential for Rockland and how that might relate across the board from business to business. Water is very, very important to our future and to the sustainable growth of Rockland. How much water do we have? How much can we use, whether it be for manufacturing purposes or otherwise? So I think those are big issues. And then, affordable housing is one of the challenges that we have, and by that I mean medium-sized, middle-income housing, so that young people can stay here, and senior citizens can stay here, and emergency service workers and health care workers can stay here, because we rely on them. Attached to that, in terms of challenges, of course, is transportation. What happens to the Tappan Zee Bridge, as is the Hudson River, is so much a part of the county’s past and it’s also critical to its future. What happens in that crossing will determine, in many respects, the type of future Rockland will have.
We’re not in the anti-development business—we want areas to grow and we want them to be developed to provide an economic base. But there are also some other areas—and this is where the balance is required, that are extremely valuable, such as parkland or historic areas that are better left to open space for recreational purposes. And that balance is really important. Look, it’s not to stop development, but it’s really to try to ensure that you’ve got a good balance.
RBD: What is your opinion of the options for the Tappan Zee Bridge? Would you like to see them rebuild it?
Vanderhoef: Well, there are multiple options, as you know. Of the six, there are multiple types. My view is that the bridge has reached capacity and has aged out. It was built 50 years ago for 100,000 vehicles per day and it now gets 140-180,000 vehicles per day, but you cannot replace it—I mean you just can’t rebuild it right there On the other hand, we don’t want more cars with more lanes, such as a wider or bigger bridge, because ultimately what that will do is bring more traffic to Rockland, more congestion, more air pollution, more noise pollution and on and on. So I think the solution will be mass transportation across that bridge. Those options, I hope, would include a commuter rail which will link Stewart Airport to Grand Central Station, eventually, and provide for a one-seat ride for Rocklanders and Orange county residents and others to New York City. With that, I would like to see either a rapid bus transportation system or a light rail system, working in conjunction, to move people from here across the corridor, including into Westchester County. There are multiple modes of transportation alternatives that can provide relief to vehicle congestion.
RBD: If you were to become Lieutenant Governor, how do you see your role? What will you bring from your Rockland experiences to Albany?
Vanderhoef: When John Faso asked me to consider being his running mate, he explained to me that he wanted someone who was capable of taking the reins, if for some reason, he was unable to. So I think he wants to utilize me in a way that’s different than in the last couple of administrations—as he put it—as partner for him in government and in governing. John wanted someone with executive experience in running government, who understood it from both the state and local level. And particularly what I think he’s interested in, to his credit, are the local government concerns, the high property tax. I didn’t mention this, but the property tax for Rockland county’s piece is 8% lower than when I took office. Now the reason that’s significant is not just in terms of dollars, because someone will tell you “my property taxes have gone up.” Well, that’s true because town and school taxes have gone up 5%. But, because of that, and because the property taxes are so onerous, as a business incentive, we’ve tried to keep that property tax lower and we have. John Faso wanted someone who understood the local property tax burden and how difficult it is to manage a local government, and that not only includes government but education. One of the big components is Medicaid fraud issues, and Rockland County, as you may know, is a leader in working with IBM in going after providers who defraud or abused the Medicaid system. Because Medicaid is the single largest expenditure by the state of New York, and for the counties themselves, those who would defraud are taking billions of dollars advantage of our taxpayers. This is the first time in the history of the program that counties have been allowed to do this. Rockland County is one of the leaders, along with eleven other counties in the state. My hope is John will be the governor; and obviously he will be in charge, but he wants a partner and I am honored that he asked me to be his partner in governing.
RBD: I imagine that you’ll miss Rockland.
Vanderhoef: Well yes, this is my home; Rockland’s my home. Someone said, “Do you want to leave”? And I said, no, I’ve enjoyed it. Because for everything that you’ve accomplished there are new challenges and that’s what government is. Trying to find new ways to do better with the human care that we provide and services that we provide, because it can always be improved. So I love Rockland; I know a lot of the folks here and have great relationships.
RBD: You’re not moving to Albany any time soon, then?
Vanderhoef: No, I will reside here. There is no “mansion” for the Lieutenant Governor (laugh). The answer I give to people is that if I do win, Rockland would still be my territory. The constituents here would still be my constituents.
RBD: Do you think Albany right now is hurting Rockland businesses or helping them?
Vanderhoef: Well, I think that evidence would suggest that we need changes. When we look at the demographics, we can see we’re losing businesses, we’re losing employment, and we’re losing people who are leaving New York State. A lot of it has to do with the local property taxes, or business taxes, franchise taxes and what have you, and I think that that’s one of the things that we really need to focus on. We are one of the highest taxed states in the nation, and that ultimately will hurt business and prevent people from moving into Rockland or anywhere. On other issues, we’ve been working toward an “Empire Zone” distinction for years and we have finally gotten the designation. That’s an important incentive to provide businesses. Overall, New York State needs to move in a direction that really looks at its debt, looks at what it’s spending, and how it’s spending money. The question is how do you do it? How do you improve services while reducing its cost? So it goes back to your first question. Doing things effectively.
RBD: Do you have a potential successor in mind for Rockland’s County Executive?
Vanderhoef: No, that is not my job, per se. I think there are a lot of people who are very capable at being good county executives, but that’s a question for individual parties and individuals themselves to look into.
When John Faso asked me to consider being his running mate he explained to me that he wanted someone who was capable of taking the reins, if for some reason, he was unable to. So I think he wants to utilize me in a way that’s different than in the last couple of administrations—as he put it—as partner for him in government and in governing.
RBD: We have a lot of small businesses in Rockland County. What would you say to small business owners who aren’t executives of a large company? What would you suggest?
Vanderhoef: A well thought-out business plan is always the best way to proceed for a small business. And take advantage of available resources such as SCORE and the RBA, organizations that allows for the interaction between businesses and leaders. Exchange ideas with one another and work together. Also have an independent review of your business plan, and work with your local banks for capital to expand.
RBD: Do you feel Rockland Business Digest will be useful for local businesses?
Vanderhoef: It’s a representation of the strength of our local business community. It’s really important. It sends a message that we’re coordinating with one another; that we’ve got a great deal of respect for our community and are reaching out to the public and other businesses with information, which is a terrific signal to businesses who might want to come in to Rockland county. It adds another dimension, which is really great.
Short Takes:
Favorite football team?
The Jets, but I also like the New York
Giants. I’m still a huge Yankee fan. I don’t have
a golf handicap because I’m so bad. I don’t play
enough consistently to be better.
Favorite book:
Because of my daughters, I have triplets; I’ve
followed Harry Potter books.
Favorite Rockland pastime:
My family is important to me and we
enjoy camping and hiking. Bicycling.
Favorite place in Rockland:
Haverstraw Park is a wonderful place
and a big part of Rockland. And it’s on the river at a point
where it’s largest and widest. We enjoy that area so much...it’s
just a charming and wonderful park. RBD
Reaching Out to Small Business:
REDC Gives Boost to Small Brewery in Haverstraw
One of the issues County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef stresses is that many small businesses in the County are not aware of the many programs available to them—either through the RBA, S.C.O.R.E., or the Rockland Economic Development Corporation (REDC). These programs can help businesses to expand or relocate to Rockland County.
Through the Westchester/Rockland Revolving Loan Fund Program, REDC recently provided Bricktown Brewery with a small business loan to support renovations in order to meet its growing customer demands.
Located on Main Street in downtown Haverstraw, Bricktown Brewery owner John Eisenhauer intends to use the loan for indoor renovations and expansion, as well as upgrade its computer equipment. Bricktown currently employs seven people with plans to grow to twelve.
“It was a pleasure working with REDC. We were very pleased with how quickly our loan request was processed. With this program, we can take the necessary steps we need to grow our business,” said Eisenhauer.
Holly Freedman, REDC’s President and CEO, said, “We’re very pleased to be able to support Bricktown Brewery as it expands its business operation. We’re particularly happy that this loan will ultimately contribute to the ongoing revitalization of Haverstraw’s downtown business district.”
The Revolving Loan Fund Program was established and funded by New York State’s Empire State Development in 1997. It is administered by REDC to support businesses that would not otherwise qualify for traditional bank financing. Businesses can receive loans of up to $30,000 for a broad variety of purposes such as working capital, inventory and equipment. Since January 2006, the program has funded new loans for Rockland businesses totaling $105,000. To learn more, contact REDC at 845-735-7040. RBD
Joining the Empire:
Rockland finally gets its Empire Zone designation
Businesses considering relocation are always looking for an incentive, and often choose an area that offers tax breaks. One of those incentives in New York State are Empire Zones (EZ).
Empire Zones are designated areas throughout the State that offer special incentives to encourage economic and community development, business investment and job creation. Certified businesses located within an EZ are eligible to receive significant tax credits and benefits.
For years, it’s been Rockland’s goal to have EZs declared in the county, but for just as many years, despite the efforts of the RBA and the REDC, among others, the applications have been turned down. Not any more. In late July, Gov. George Pataki announced that Rockland, along with five other counties, were the latest additions to the state’s expanding Empire Zone program. “The addition of a new Zone in Rockland will help to spur more investment and create and save jobs for hardworking Rocklanders,” said State Senator Thomas Morahan. “It is my hope that this designation will facilitate the kind of investments and job-creating activities that will lead to significant and sustained growth and prosperity.”
In the County’s case, Rockland listed six development and investment zones, which embrace all five towns, including areas such as the Hilburn Industrial Park, Clarkstown Executive Park area, and properties adjacent to Novartis, among other areas.
“New York State’s Empire Zones program has worked to attract business to the Empire State, and has encouraged businesses to grow here,” Governor Pataki said. “The addition of these six new Zones in Rockland, Delaware, Greene, Schoharie, Tompkins and Wyoming counties will help to spur more investment and create and save jobs for hardworking New Yorkers.”
Today, there are over 9,800 certified businesses employing more than 380,000 people in 76 Empire Zones statewide.
Businesses operating inside a zone are eligible for a range of significant tax benefits tied to job creation and significant investment. Benefits include tax reduction credits, real property tax credits, sales tax exemptions, wage tax credits, and utility rate reductions. The tax benefits can reduce a company’s tax liability to as little as zero. RBD
