WCA in the News

It’s hard to believe in this age of hyper-connectivity, but about half a million people living in New York City and its suburbs still lack access to high-speed broadband despite more than a decade of state and federal programs that have poured billions of dollars into closing the digital divide.

With the rapid rise of AI, remote work, sustainability, and cybersecurity, remaining up-to-the-second with business trends is not only smart, it can make or break a company.

Beginning in 2022, the Westchester County Association’s Healthcare Talent Pipeline Program placed and trained 100 workers with regional healthcare providers. The initiative funded by a grant from Westchester County has an annual economic impact of more than $3.5 million.

Brightcore is just one of numerous players in Westchester County creating a more sustainable future. The reasons why are obvious to anyone paying attention to recent climate “events” — a mushy word for disasters, like excessive heat, flooding, smoky air, and others, that are becoming more frequent and severe.

The purpose of the partnership is to work collaboratively and in a coordinated fashion to respond to the severe lack of housing in Westchester County for people at a wide range of income levels by advancing a pro-housing agenda through legislative and regulatory means at the state, county and local levels.

At the recent Westchester County Association’s 73rd annual leadership event Michael N. Romita, WCA president and CEO, announced two new WCA-led initiatives designed to extend the impact of the organization.

The Westchester County Office of Economic Development (OED) and Westchester County Association (WCA) today announced the Westchester Healthcare Talent Pipeline Program (HTPP), which launched in spring of 2022, has connected 101 hires to employment.

At the local level, Westchester County, N.Y., has launched a new initiative to increase access to affordable Internet and education. Launched by the county's Office of Economic Development, the program will leverage partnerships with the STEM Alliance, the Westchester County Association (WCA) and the Westchester Library System.

More than 300 job seekers lined up to meet with over 40 employers and resource providers at a regional career fair October 12 at the Westchester County Center in White Plains.

Too often, those of us in health care get so caught up in our day-to-day business challenges that we forget to put some of our greatest accomplishments in context.

White Plains, N.Y. (December 2, 2021) – The Westchester County Association (WCA) hosted their Annual Fall Leadership Event: Driving Westchester Forward on November 30 at the Westchester Marriot in Tarrytown, New York. With over 400 people in attendance, the evening honored the achievements of organizations Skanska, Westhab, and WMCHealth, as well as outgoing WCA Chairman William P. Harrington Esq., Partner at Bleakley Platt & Schmidt who received the Alfred B. DelBello Visionary Award.

White Plains, N.Y. (September 23, 2021) –The Westchester County Association (WCA) is excited to announce that at today’s meeting of the Board of Directors, Susan Fox, CEO and President of White Plains Hospital, was selected to succeed Bill Harrington as the next Chairperson of the WCA.

White Plains, N.Y. (November 23, 2021) – The Westchester County Association (WCA), and Nonprofit Westchester (NPW), are hosting a free virtual event, An Open Conversation with US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, on Thursday, December 9, 2021 at 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. EST. This event will include an interactive dialogue, discussing the most pressing issues impacting businesses and the Hudson Valley community.

White Plains, N.Y. (October 21, 2021) – Today, the Westchester County Association in partnership with the City of Yonkers, STEM Alliance, Yonkers Partners in Education (YPIE), Fordham University, and Westhab launched the much-anticipated Yonkers Zone (Y-Zone). This project is made possible through support from US Ignite, the National Science Foundation (NSF) (Award # CNS-2044448), and Schmidt Futures. By utilizing Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum, the newly deployed, digital opportunity zone provides free internet access to approximately 250 to 400 need-based households in downtown Yonkers.

The Westchester County Association (WCA) is hosting their 2nd Annual Regional Workforce Summit on Friday, April 23, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. EST. Join the WCA and leaders from business, education, government, and nonprofits as they gather to discuss the mega shifts occurring in our region’s talent ecosystem. This event will showcase how businesses are leveraging the “new normal” in training, recruiting, and retention developments of the region’s talent.

The Westchester County Association (WCA) is one of seven lead organizations to have been selected by US Ignite, a national non-profit accelerating the smart city movement, to participate in Project OVERCOME. Project OVERCOME, a $2.7 million effort is designed to expedite the delivery of broadband services to underserved communities across the United States. The U. S. National Science Foundation (NSF) conceived of and is providing $2.25 million in funding for the project, with Schmidt Futures joining as a financial and strategic partner to extend Project OVERCOME’s geographic reach with an additional $450,000. The project explores novel approaches to connectivity in both rural and urban communities with an eye on replicating these efforts on a national scale.

The Westchester County Association (WCA), and Nonprofit Westchester (NPW), are hosting a free virtual event, An Open Conversation with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, on February 26, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. EST. This event will discuss the most pressing issues impacting regional businesses and nonprofits and will include an audience Q&A. Topics that will be addressed in this event include: • COVID relief and the rest of Senator Schumer’s 2021 legislative agenda • Economic development priorities in the lower Hudson Valley • The importance of nonprofits to the regional economy • The challenges of legislating in the current political environment

The Westchester County Association (WCA), in partnership with Westchester County’s Office of Economic Development, is hosting a free virtual webinar, All Access Healthcare: Spotlight on Westchester’s Bioscience Ecosystem, on February 11, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. EST. This event will showcase the growing bioscience ecosystem in the county and highlight why more life science companies are moving to Westchester County. Opening remarks will be made by Westchester County Executive George Latimer.

The Westchester County Association (WCA), Westchester’s leading economic development and business advocacy organization, today announced the appointment of five new members to its board of directors.

Regional experts in real estate and housing will share best practices and offer potential solutions to the lack of affordable and diverse housing stock in the region – where more than 11,000 additional such units are needed -- at the Westchester County Association’s fourth annual Real Estate and Housing Virtual Summit on October 30 at 9:30 a.m. EST.