by Katie Liu, Aug. 25, 2027
Partnership Programs aim to improve quality of life from workforce investment to improved infrastructure
To bolster the energy storage ecosystem in upstate New York, you need a solid foundation behind it. Every new gigafactory and shiny new test lab that crops up requires investments and strategic planning in order to get the right people into the right room at the right time.
This is the role of the Southern Tier 8 Regional Board, which operates as the local development district for the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration.
Established in 1968, Southern Tier 8 works broadly to support eight unique counties in upstate New York: Broome, Tioga, Tompkins, Otsego, Cortland, Delaware, Schoharie, and Chenango. Its scope encompasses bolstering domestic manufacturing and economic development, support for innovation, and education and workforce development, among others.
“We are your local partner for those federal funding opportunities in economic, community, infrastructure, and workforce development,” said Jen Gregory, executive director of Southern Tier 8. “These have been big components of the New Energy New York program as well.”
Southern Tier 8 has been a critical partner for NENY, acting as a local funder and partner for various sustainability and pilot projects throughout the upstate New York region. It was also instrumental in bringing together partners from different sectors across the ecosystem, from workforce development to supply chain, to jumpstart the Binghamton University-led coalition.
“It is the foundation. It’s those boring building blocks. And that’s okay,” Gregory said. “Because all of that supports the rest of the ecosystem development.”
Bringing people to the table
The initiative to bring economic development back to upstate New York has been years in the making, starting from as early as 2010, with New York Battery and Energy Technology Consortium (NY-BEST) and building workforce partnerships and pilot investments, all the way through 2022, the year NENY received its designation as a Build Back Better Regional Challenge awardee by the federal government. The pieces came together to rapidly expand the scale and scope of the work being done to boost the regional economy.
“When you start out, you really try to invite as many people as you can to the table, because you’re not sure where it’s all going to land,” Gregory said.
But the process of laying the foundation for the NENY coalition was more than just gathering potential partners. In order to support future ecosystem growth, it was important to continue building out a healthy supply chain that could sustain that incoming development and industry cluster.
This includes supporting the Alliance for Manufacturing & Technology (AM&T) in its collaboration with the ARC’s multi-state initiatives to identify programs that would benefit from additional battery manufacturing. Southern Tier 8 also supports local Industrial Development Agencies to prepare sites to support supply chain companies as they begin to move into the region.
Private sector partners suggested that Southern Tier 8 should begin ramping up for 1,000 jobs in opening new plants. “Which could really lead to 10,000 jobs,” Gregory said. “Setting up a manufacturing plant doesn’t take place in a silo. We need to ensure that industrial sites and buildings are ready, from assessing the water distribution at Southworks to adequate fiber at Huron Campus.”
From local high schools to workforce investment boards, from infrastructure development departments to IDAs, nurturing an ecosystem is a holistic effort, beyond just university research or factory building.
“We bring those partners together every quarter, so they have an opportunity to understand what one is working on that supports the other,” Gregory said. Looking ahead, Southern Tier 8 will continue to support local partners with ARC and EDA to build upon existing infrastructure, including fortifying water and sanitary systems for industrial parks as well as continuing projects with BT-BOCES and AM&T, while expanding potential innovation centers.
Placemaking
Addressing another part of the local ecosystem, Southern Tier 8 is currently focused on expanding partnerships and drafting systematic improvements for housing. Historically, most government housing projects have been funded for those in poverty, seniors, or college students. With the goal to expedite more housing projects for the new workforce, the Regional Board and its partners are taking the first steps to define new public funding programs for builders to de-risk middle-class housing projects and scale options across the Southern Tier.
Each year, Southern Tier 8 also hosts a grantmaking program and open application for non-profits, schools, and organizations that are addressing local economic development needs, through Southern Tier 8’s website. These opportunities are open through the ARC and EDA, and the team at Southern Tier 8 will assist prospective applicants to prepare full applications and meet federal compliance requirements.
“See how ready you are, what partnerships you have, what community or workforce development or infrastructure challenge you’re trying to solve. Let us know that you’re interested,” Gregory said.
Three years after those initial days of crowding around a table to see if the team had a real concept to chase, when Gregory looks back at the work done over the last few years, she sees success in not only the coalition’s alignment, but also the ripples NENY has already made around the region.
For decades, the community saw little private sector investment, she said, but NENY shined a light on local resources, assets, and opportunities. The coalition and partners are now rebuilding industrial sites, creating workforce opportunities, and expanding investment opportunities.
“To see the state continue to recognize that there are some significant manufacturing assets in the Southern Tier is huge. To see Raymond, because of the momentum and alignment of partners, continue to expand in Broome County is amazing,” Gregory said. “To be able to offer an opportunity for folks in the community to find employment and hope with some of those programs, that’s the purpose of why we’re doing what we’re doing. All of those, I see as major wins.”