Saratoga Prosperity Partnership Focuses On Plan To Attract, Retain Saratoga County Jobs

This is the logo of the relatively new Saratoga Prosperity Partnership, formed by the Saratoga
County Board of Supervisors to deal with economic development issues in the county.

BY R.J. DELUKE

A two-year plan for promoting economic growth,
devised by Saratoga Prosperity Partnership and
presented last month, is something the economic
development organization says will “propel Saratoga
County forward” in its quest to attract more business
while at the same time retaining jobs at existing
businesses.

Martin Vanags, president of the group created in
2014 by the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors,
said that while the program was formally unveiled
in December, its implementation started earlier in
the year and is ongoing.

It was developed with assistance from the consulting
firm TIPS Strategies out of Austin, Texas,
Vanags said. The plan involves brainstorming with
business and government leaders to best focus on
the targeted goals.

“We are about this plan,” he said about the Partnership,
“putting our nose to the grindstone and
moving forward.”

There are four objectives in the plan. They are:

• Engaging in targeted and collaborative campaigns
to attract new business to the county in key
clusters and industries.
• Engage existing businesses, stakeholders, partners
and other economic development agencies in
an all-inclusive, multi-year business retention and
expansion campaign to help the private sector secure
new jobs and capital investment.
• Leverage the investment of GlobalFoundries
and the presence of Luther Forest Technology Park
to attract new advanced manufacturing businesses,
suppliers and allied industries to increase employment
and capital investment.
• Build and expand relationships with appointed
and elected officials at the local, state and federal
government levels to enhance investments.

Vanags said to attract new employers, the Partnership
has “specific initiatives to identify which
companies we want to go after … It’s no different than
any sales process. Identify who you want to go after
and tell them about the county and all it has to offer.”

For job retention, Vanags said it is vital to “know
and understand local business. If you know your local
companies and what they face,” it’s easier to devise
strategy for retention and growth. The Partnership
will collaborate with chambers of commerce and
government, and has been meeting with companies
to share information about workforce issues and
needs.

Of the semiconductor industry, Vanags said trips
are planned to areas where such industry thrives,
like the west coast, to talk about Luther Forest and
its potential.

Vanags said of the local economy, “We’re doing
well, by any measure that you look at.”

He cited low unemployment, growing sales tax
and various commercial and residential development
projects in the works. “We’re pretty healthy
in Saratoga County,” but “do we stop or continue to
push? We have to continue to push.”

He said there will be public forums with entities
like the Saratoga Springs City Council, and the
Partnership is happy to make presentations to other
interested groups to explain its goals, share information
and also get valuable input.

A summary of thee public plan includes:

Objective I

In the next two years the Partnership will build a
pipeline of companies and clients that have interest
in investing in Saratoga County in each of the identified
sectors. A study will identify a targeted list of at
least 24 companies (plus additional companies with
local ties) in each sector that have a strong propensity
for growth and expansion.

A multi-faceted marketing strategy will be developed
that “creates a compelling value proposition and
initiates specific campaigns that address each sector.”

There will be a series of the county-based conferences
and trade shows to promote regional assets.
There will also be collaboration with other county
organizations on local event programming