Resources
Sources you can utilize!
The Putnam County Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to serving as the primary advocate, voice, and resource for the business community. The Chamber aims to provide educational opportunities and to enhance individually viable commerce districts throughout Putnam County as a dynamic collaboration of multiple Chambers of Commerce. http://www.putnamchamberny.org/
- Brewster: www.brewsterchamber.com
- Carmel/Kent: www.carmelkentchamber.com
- Cold Spring/Garrison/Philipstown: explorecoldspringny.com
- Mahopac-Carmel: www.mahopaccarmelchamber.com
- Putnam Valley: www.pvbusinessnetwork.org
Putnam County offers abundant and diverse resources for business. The county government works closely with the Industrial Development Agency to expand the industrial/commercial tax base of the county and bring jobs to its residents. One initiative of the county government is the Putnam Workforce Partnership, which provides in-depth training, career development, and re-training services.
Empire State Development is the umbrella organization for New York’s two principal economic development financing entities: The NYS Urban Development Corporation and the NYS Department of Economic Development. In an effort to increase efficiency and enhance the delivery of initiatives, these two agencies have worked together seamlessly since 1995.The EDC’s mission is to promote a vigorous and growing state economy, encourage business investment and job creation, and support diverse, prosperous local economies across New York State through the use of loans, grants, tax credits, real estate development, marketing and other forms of assistance.
The Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation (HVEDC) is a comprehensive resource for businesses relocating to (or expanding within) the Hudson Valley, which includes Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Ulster, Dutchess and Sullivan counties. Some of the services that the HVEDC offers to Putnam County are: site search consultation, regional and state collaboration, detailed economic data, and business education & training. http://www.hvedc.com/
The Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 as an independent agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation. The SBA helps Americans start, build and grow businesses. Through an extensive network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations, the SBA delivers its services to people throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U. S. Virgin Islands and Guam.
The New York Business Development Corporation (NYBDC) promotes and advances the business prosperity and economic welfare of New York State by providing small business loans. Throughout its 60-year history, NYBDC has provided thousands of small businesses, including start-ups, mature businesses, and minority- and women-owned businesses, with access to loans when they do not meet the requirements for traditional financing.
The New York State Department of Labor strive to protect workers, assist the unemployed and connect job seekers to jobs. They work to ensure a fair wage for all workers, protect the safety and health of workers and the public, help the unemployed via temporary payments (unemployment insurance), link job seekers with employers, and guide workers to training.
NYSEG and RG&E have a program called “Look Upstate NY” and offer a host of economic development programs to help build a strong and healthy economy in upstate New York, which includes Putnam County. These programs can help existing businesses expand and attract new businesses to the region. Through these economic development programs, NYSEG and RG&E maintain a strong collaborative effort with economic development partners at the local, regional and state levels.
The EDC’s Mission Statement reads as follows: “The Putnam County Economic Development Corporation acts as the primary facilitator connecting local resources with opportunities to deliver economic growth. We work to cultivate and expand existing business as well as promote commercial real estate to attract new business. We market county assets such as proximity to New York City, its Metro North transit links, its infrastructure and highly skilled workforce. We advocate for development projects among municipalities and planning boards to ensure the growth of our county’s tax base. We educate and assist local nonprofits, small businesses and municipalities with incentive and grant programs from New York State, utility companies and other funding sources. We strive for balanced growth throughout the county to meet the needs of our broad audience.”
SCORE’s mentors, comprised of active and retired business men and women, provide clients with free and confidential business counseling. These Putnam-based mentors and representatives from the local business community conduct a variety of regularly scheduled, low-cost educational workshops throughout the year and offer access to a wide variety of documents, templates and tools to assist you in starting or growing your business.