NCA news & updates
September 2021
NCA Board
The North Country Alliance Board of Directors meets monthly on the third Wednesday at 11:00am. The next board meeting is:

September 15, 2021
11:00am

All members are welcome to join.
Board meeting minutes and agendas are posted on the NCA website.

Member Events
List your events in this space.
Let the NCA help publicize your organization's events. Send your listings to info@northcountryalliance.org

NCA Membership
If you received this newsletter and are not a member of the North Country Alliance, please consider joining the NCA. For membership questions, contact Matt Siver at msiver@danc.org.
Member Events

September 8, 1:15pm Virtual Moderated Discussion with Federal Reserve Bank of NY focusing on the economic outlook including Q&A. Hosted by SLU.

September 9 Lean 101 Plattsburgh
A four-hour basic Lean introduction to get your team speaking the same language and working toward the same goals.

September 15, 3:00pm Job Fair
Meet many prospective employees in one day!

October 7 8:00am Women in Business
In person networking and conference focusing on timely issues and professional development for women.

A free virtual discussion of ways that small manufacturers can affordably benefit from data technology.
Regional Economic Development Council UPDATE
Update from Ty Stone, President, Jefferson Community College and Regional Co-Chair, North Country Economic Development Council.
While the pandemic has been a challenge for the entire region, the NCREDC has continued to make progress on planning for the continued growth and sustainability of the North Country. Earlier this summer, the NCREDC crafted and submitted its 2021 Strategic Plan to New York State. The focus and direction of the council is built on four pillars: Workforce, Tradeable Sectors, Innovation, and Placemaking. 

At its most recent meeting, the Council scored, ranked, and advanced funding recommendations on rounds 1 and 2 of the CFA applications. Another round of CFA applications that were due on July 30, will be reviewed at a meeting scheduled in September. 

Grant applications are now open on a rolling basis, for the first time, through the Empire State Development Grant program. The Council also encourages applications for Workforce Development assistance and Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) awards.  
Lending Program: New York State Urban Development Corp.
Maggie’s on the River, Watertown, was the recipient of a UDC working capital loan.

UDC funds were used for the NCA's COVID-19 Emergency Working Capital Program.  
The North Country Alliance Regional Revolving Loan Program has received $1,228,661 in funds from the New York State Urban Development Corporation since its first award in November 1989. The New York State Urban Development Corporation was the precursor to today’s Empire State Development, the state’s economic development organization.

The UDC funds are unique. These funds can only be used for inventory and working capital, so when staff is reviewing applications that have a need for inventory or working capital, it typically looks to use UDC funds first. The maximum term is 5 years and the maximum loan amount is $100,000. 

The UDC funds are grants to the NCA, so the NCA has no obligation to pay these funds back to the State. Principal repayments stay in the fund and are available to make new loans. Interest repayments may be used to offset operating expenses associated with the fund. 

Since 1989, the NCA has lent over $4.3 million in UDC funds to businesses across the North Country region.
Member Spotlight: Workforce Development Institute
Greg Hart is WDI's North Country Regional Director. He can be reached at ghart@wdiny.org.
Workforce Development Institute (WDI) is a statewide non-profit that works to grow and keep good jobs in NYS. We use a range of tools — including “boots on the ground” information, workforce expertise, and funding — to facilitate projects that build workforce skills and strengthen employers’ ability to hire, promote, and retain workers. Our work often fills gaps not covered by other organizations and is accomplished through partnerships and collaborations with businesses, unions, other non-profits, educational institutions, and government.

WDI has 10 Regional Directors covering each corner of the state. This state-wide presence is a strength in that if a program works well in one part of the state, we can help move that project to other regions. WDI gratefully receives funding for our work from the NYS Legislature. We work across all sectors, though significant emphasis has been targeted by the Legislature to work on the manufacturing sector.