County Executive Neuhaus Snares Partnership’s MVP Award
John Jordan | May 4, 2017
GOSHEN—The Orange County Partnership announced on May 1st that Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus is the economic development agency’s MVP (Most Valuable Partner) Award winner for 2017.
Orange County Partnership President and CEO Maureen Halahan announced Neuhaus’ selection by a unanimous vote of its Board of Directors at a press conference staged earlier this month in a conference room adjoining both the Partnership’s and County Executive’s offices on Matthews Street in Goshen.
The reason behind his selection was the tremendous amount of business interest in Orange County and Neuhaus’ assistance in attracting and retaining business in the county. “We have more projects under construction, in the pipeline, or recently opened over his tenure, really than any other county executive we have known in several decades,” Halahan said.
She characterized Neuhaus “as a courageous leader who is not afraid to say ‘this project is good for our county.’ He is very focused on bringing in real jobs. Often times, elected officials can, on occasion, be very cautious on saying what is really important,” Halahan noted. “This County Executive makes it known that whether it is tourism/destination, the need for new pipes in the ground, the need for new energy or the need for a new Government Center…he goes out there and says, ‘let’s get this thing done.’”
Neuahus when he first took office in 2014 made economic development a top priority of his administration. The Orange County Partnership listed a few of Orange County’s success stories since Neuhaus took office that included both attractions and major expansions, such as Angry Orchard’s $6-million investment in facility in Walden, Amy’s Kitchen’s $100-million to-be-built project in Goshen, AmerisourceBergen’s $75-million distribution facility in the Town of Newburgh, CPV Valley’s $900-million facility under construction in Wawayanda, along with major expansion projects by the likes of Orange Regional Medical Center and Crystal Run Healthcare.
The County Executive said the benefits of the economic development work are seen in the county’s job office in Newburgh where county residents are being trained for new jobs, which reduces the social services cost to the county.
He added that creating jobs for Orange County residents is the real “tangible impact” of the work undertaken by his administration and the Orange County Partnership that “really gets the economy growing.”
“It’s not just about getting one guy or one gal a job,” Neuhaus explained. “It’s them being able to provide for their family or shop and live in a community. The multiplier effect is so widespread.”
While the county has secured major new business commitments and will perhaps be home to a new LEGOLAND New York amusement park if approvals are granted by the Town of Goshen, Neuhaus said his biggest success thus far in his first term of office was stabilizing the county’s finances.
The press conference also featured testimonials by key business leaders, including executives from McGoey, Hauser and Edsall, Holt Construction, Atlas Security Services, Perreca Electric Co., Inc. and Thomas J. Kempton Mechanical Contractors.
County Executive Neuhaus will be honored at the Orange County Partnership’s 2017 MVP Award breakfast on Thursday, June 1st at the West Hills Country Club in Middletown. The event will begin at 8 a.m. The Orange County Partnership selected Wallkill Town Supervisor Dan Depew as its 2016 MVP Award honoree.
Editor, Real Estate In-Depth