Business leaders in central New York are re-launching efforts to expand their involvement in the export market.
The Central New York International Business Alliance has been around for almost a decade. It’s renewing its push to increase exports among companies in the region, or get them into the market altogether.
The alliance is an effort from CenterState CEO, a regional chamber of commerce of sorts.
Exports make up $8.7 billion of revenue for central New York businesses, with companies like CONMED, Welch-Allyn and Inficon leading the way.
Alan Fink says the alliance’s new board made up of industry experts, which he’s president of, will be a big asset.
"And I think that this, plus the ability of the companies that are highly involved, that we can kind of a fast track to help companies that are less rich in those experiences," he said.
Smaller companies will get access to counseling and mentoring from the board and export-heavy companies, organizers said.
"With the actual total pool of resources it’s, I think, a very changed environment," Fink added. "And one of the very biggest changes, I feel, is the outpouring from the manufacturers that are on the board."
Before the re-launch, the alliance was an all volunteer effort, but CenterState has hired a fulltime director to spearhead its work.
CenterState CEO partnered with the Brookings Institution two years ago to design a new export plan. It was formally implemented last year with the goal of doubling exports in upstate New York.