Yonkers’ starring role as Hollywood on Hudson continues to grow with reports this week that BCW members National Resources and Great Point Studios, which built the new Lionsgate TV and film production studio on the downtown waterfront, have closed on the former Leake & Watts property on Hawthorne Avenue for another studio. In addition to soundstages for movie and TV production, plans for the 28-acre Leake & Watts site include a new Yonkers public school that will offer media training to students. The new school will open unprecedented opportunities for Yonkers youth interested in media careers at a time of […]

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 […]