2020 2nd Edition: April 6-10
The Right Leaders at the Right Time

As we move into another week in isolation, more cases of the Coronavirus reveal themselves. Some are hitting home, others are one degree of separation. No one is getting a "free-pass" as it has impacted all of our lives in varying degrees.

As a county, and as New Yorkers, let’s first take inventory of our blessings:

First and foremost, we can count ourselves fortunate in having the right leaders at the right time to shepherd us through these difficult times.

Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus, with his military training, moved into attack mode with ease, tactically mobilizing a strong team, reacting to the ever-changing increase in infected residents, and the decrease in thriving businesses. You can find his daily updates on his Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/StevenMNeuhaus/

Governor Andrew Cuomo fearlessly took measures to halt the spread, despite knowing the adverse impacts to the economy. While we remain hopeful that the apex will occur this week, we must plan for a long recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

While we battle the difficult conditions of the present, we must also plan for the resurgence that is sure to come.



Sectors to Watch

  • Pharmaceuticals, healthcare, R&D, medical device manufacturing, distribution and warehousing will all skyrocket.

  • Communications infrastructure and IT-remote work will increase.

  • E-commerce, distribution and warehousing will grow stronger due to an increase in on-line shopping and the stock piling of medical and other supplies.

  • To adequately prepare for the re-shoring of manufacturing that is sure to come, we need to streamline our regulatory process to accommodate manufacturing that will support the shift in the supply chain. Simply put—we need to do things cheaper and quicker.

  • Agri-business—the demand for clean and local food will be on the rise. Businesses that can creatively re-tool to accommodate for the demand will survive.

  • Commercial and Residential Real Estate—the Hudson Valley will become even more desirable for urban dwellers and firms seeking to escape the confines of major cities.


Municipal Fallout

  • Sales taxes are down so Orange County and localities are tightening their belts;

  • Municipalities are making cuts in response to lower revenues;

  • School districts will be impacted by the loss in tax revenue;

  • Consolidation of services-including school districts, inter-municipal cooperation, consolidation of departments etc., will become a reality;

  • Master plans, with clear vision, will need updating;

  • Government must move forward at the speed of business by holding special meetings, collecting fees and allowing development to proceed;

  • Low interest rates will provide opportunities for municipalities to invest in infrastructure that will support the type of business they desire.


There are opportunities to orchestrate our future in the landscape of our communities. We have to engage in forward-thinking to facilitate the growth that will ensure our future once the scourge of the pandemic has been lifted.

Currently change is the constant. Our economic future remains cloudy and will remain so for months, if not longer. It will take time to chart a clear course to a brighter tomorrow.

Like you, we at the Partnership have been working harder for half the gain. We are trying to provide direction to companies and developers. We are part advocate and part therapist.

I thank those of you who have been a resource to my team and I. 

As Americans, we are naturally hopeful. We're fighters, and no matter what the hurdles, we will get through this. We always do.


Maureen Halahan
President & CEO
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc, numerous companies have stepped up to assist our community. We'd like to recognize and keep you apprised of private businesses that are creatively supporting our community during these challenging times.

Aurochemicals: The internationally recognized manufacturer of natural aroma ingredients in the flavor and fragrance industry, based in Washingtonville, has provided tens of thousands of hard-to-find surgical masks to protect healthcare and first-responder teams in the community. The company recently supplied Orange County Government with 50,000 surgical masks and provided 42,000 masks to Orange Regional Medical Center. 

Bonura Hospitality Group:  The wildly successful company, which owns and operates restaurants, catering halls and a hotel, has had to lay off more than 400 of their 1,000 employees during the pandemic. The family-owned business is making meals out of a otherwise closed facility to care for not only their employees but their families, providing a hot meals every day for curbside pickup.  

Konica Minolta and Laborers’ Local 17 LECET/Hudson Valley Building & Construction Trades Council have donated a number of N-95 and N-99 masks to nursing homes and first responders throughout Orange County.

SUNY Orange: In response to requests from healthcare facilities in Orange County fighting COVID-19 on the front lines, the leaders of SUNY Orange Health Professions Programs recently delivered a donation of 4,505 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) items to the Newburgh campus of Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital.

DNA Entertainment hosted a live stream dance party and raised more than $6,000 to supply meals for workers around Orange County’s medical centers, nursing homes and urgent care facilities.

Fidanza Family Properties: The property, food and beverage management group based in Middletown, announced a food donation program for businesses who want to help supply meals to essential employees while on the job. Business can make a donation by ordering food from one of their restaurants (Pizza E Birra and Planet Wings) and the company will match that donation, up to $1,500 worth of food. To date, $2,0000 worth of food has been donated to the staff at Orange Regional Medical Center. To participate email: [email protected] .

Construction Contractors Association , Danskammer , Boyce Excavating and Focus Media were all instrumental in securing and donating to the emergency need of N-95 masks to protect medical workers from the Coronavirus.

Medline Industries , the nation’s largest privately-held healthcare manufacturer and distributor, has worked tirelessly with local hospitals and healthcare facilities to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) and has donated an abundance of supplies to the Town of Montgomery and Orange County.

Orange County Distillery was creative in turning a 55-gallon barrel of extremely high-proof spirits into hand sanitizer, which they gave out to Orange County residents for FREE.

Please help us recognize private-business leaders who are creatively contributing to the health and well-being of our community. Please share stories by emailing our Marketing Director, Sarah Brosnan to be included in next week's newsletter:


We are all in this together, the best of people come out
in the worst of times.

Stay Home. Stay Safe. Stay Strong.
Central Hudson Gas & Electric to Offer More Than $1M in Grants to Assist Small Businesses Impacted by Coronavirus
POUGHKEEPSIE—Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. reported recently that it will provide regional organizations financial contributions to support their COVID-19 campaigns and missions. They will offer $1 million in economic development grants to assist local small businesses, many of which have been impacted by the pandemic.

Survey Indicates Workforce Shifts Inevitable Following COVID-19 Pandemic
As we continue to work from home due to the COVID-19 mandatory quarantine, we are hearing that some real estate experts are predicting that company executives may choose to keep a percentage of their workers working remotely once business are allowed to resume operations.  

Governor Extends Shutdown of ‘Non-Essential’ Businesses, Schools Through April 29
ALBANY—New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on April 6 a two-week extension of the shutdown of all non-essential businesses and schools statewide in order to prevent the further spread of the Novel Coronavirus. 

$177B 2021 State Budget Mandates Paid Sick Leave, Prevailing Wage Rates on Some Projects that Secure Funding
ALBANY—In the midst of the Coronavirus crisis, state lawmakers approved and Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a $177-billion 2021 State Budget.

State Will Invest in Private Companies That Manufacture Rapid COVID-19 Tests
ALBANY—New York State officials announced that the state will invest in private companies to bring rapid COVID-19 testing to scale and accelerate testing capacity.

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