WCA Showcases White Plains for Perspective Businesses
Business leaders from across the region were in White Plains Wednesday morning, as the Westchester County Association held its first City Showcase to show what the city has to offer. The half-day event, part of the WCA’s Blueprint for Westchester Initiative, gave those in attendance the chance to meet and hear from members of the community and aimed to portray White Plains as a city with numerous assets and a business-friendly government.
“We’re on a mission. We’re going to leverage the intellectual capital we have here in our county and we’re going to attract new business and investment,” said WCA Executive Director of Economic Development Marissa Brett, speaking at a networking breakfast at the Reckson Metro Center on Hamilton Avenue. “What better place to start than this great city of White Plains, our county seat? White Plains has everything you need, like I said. Easy access, tremendous infrastructure, quality of life is second to none.”
Speakers at the breakfast included Mayor Tom Roach, Randall Fleischer of Metro-North, Bill Muzzio of Reckson and Rick Livingston of Orthonet. Fleisher used commuter data to stress the city’s importance, saying the White Plains Train Station was the most popular stop for reverse commuters.
“There are folks coming to places like White Plains as employment centers,” Fleischer said. “In fact, the majority of folks who get off at the White Plains station are coming from points south into White Plains, a significant shift.”
Livingston told the crowd his business had considered moving out of the city into Connecticut.
“There were some great things that we saw. There were some good opportunities,” he recalled. “But when we sat down as a team and said, where do we want to be, what city serves us best? The answer was White Plains, and it’s been White Plains every time we’ve done this kind of analysis.”
Roach pointed to several of the city’s strengths, including its accessibility and the three exits off I-287 for White Plains commuters.
“I chat with other mayors,” he said. “I compliment them on their waterfronts, and they all say to me, ‘I’ll trade it for your 287 front.”
After the breakfast, attendees took a two-hour bus tour of the city. The tour highlighted the city’s assets, and the business leaders were shown where corporate and retail space was available.
“I don’t live in the city so it was a good opportunity for me to see what the opportunities are in this area,” said George Carfagno, the business development manager of The Chazen Companies, a Poughkeepsie-based engineering firm. “You can hear numbers and you can read them but when you see them, you actually see the buildings, it’s quite something. I’m pretty optimistic about White Plains being a center for this part of the world.”
Following the tour, Roach gave the keynote speech at a luncheon held at the ArtsWestchester building, speaking after WCA President Bill Mooney.
“I want to change the perception of White Plains as a place to do business,” Roach reiterated.
The showcase was part of the WCA’s Blueprint for Westchester. On Sept. 20, the WCA will showcase the City of New Rochelle. For more information, visit www.westchester.org.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
