The BCW’s Westchester Innovation Network (WIN) logged impressive accomplishments in its inaugural year. Launched at the end of 2021, WIN is a program aimed at driving economic development, innovation, and growth within Westchester County. Throughout 2022, WIN attracted 14 innovators based in the United States and Canada who were matched with local companies to test new products, services, and technologies. “Our goal with WIN is to build strong and economically vibrant communities by attracting thought leaders and futurists to our county. At the same time, we showcased Westchester as a place to build, grow, test, and explore innovation,” said Dr. […]

More than 100 business leaders and BCW members attended a special reception at iPark in Yonkers on Thursday to get a behind-the-scenes peek at the Great Point Studios/Lionsgate facility that is transforming Yonkers into Hollywood on Hudson. Great Point Studios CEO Robert Halmi, Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano and New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins attended the evening reception, where they described a city that is quickly becoming the East Coast equivalent of Burbank, California, a satellite community of Los Angeles where many media and entertainment companies operate production facilities. Halmi, a Westchester County native, has repeatedly stated that […]

The BCW’s Westchester Innovation Network (WIN) recently paired the technology company Lessonbee with the Yonkers Housing Authority (YHA) to provide Gen Z residents with wellness education. As part of the WIN partnership, Lessonbee piloted its subscription-based content at one of YHA’s largest housing developments, a complex serving more than 1,700 families. Often, its young residents lack positive role models that can provide accurate health information. “Young people have a lot of questions about their health and well-being and our tenants often don’t know where to turn to find that information,” said Wilson Kimball, President and CEO of YHA. “Lessonbee provided […]

The Business Council of Westchester was among 37 leading business organizations that represent thousands of businesses statewide calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to allocate resources in the Fiscal Year 2023 budget to address the state’s outstanding federal Unemployment Insurance advance that is leading to the highest possible state UI taxes, an Interest Assessment Surcharge, and increased federal UI taxes. The letter noted that nearly three years after the pandemic, employers, particularly small businesses, continue to face unprecedented challenges. “According to NFIB’s Small Business Economic Trends (SBET) report, 30 percent of small business owners reported that inflation was the single most […]

The BCW has joined with BCW Member Iona University in New Rochelle and Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario to produce the Westchester Innovation Network (WIN) Implementation Guide, a roadmap for transforming Westchester County into a hotspot that attracts and nurtures innovative companies. The guide, which will be released in mid-2023, is designed to serve as a resource for elected officials, business leaders and municipal planners who want to remove barriers and create incentives for attracting innovators. “We could have hired a consultant to put together a set of recommendations that will go on a shelf and collect dust,” said […]