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NIAGARA COUNTY: Banking on our wealth of water

County officials agree on $83,000 campaign to lure in drought-affected companies

By Mark ScheerNiagara Gazette

SANBORN — Niagara County’s Center for Economic Development will be looking south in 2008 as part of a campaign to market one of the area’s most abundant resources: Fresh water.

The department’s new marketing initiative will target Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and other “water-starved” southern states where business owners and residents are finding it exceedingly difficult — and costly — to cope with severe drought conditions that continue to plague their region.

“The availability of fresh water in this area gives us a competitive advantage over other areas of the country,” said Niagara County Legislator and Economic Development Committee Chairman Richard Updegrove, R-Lockport.

Through the $83,000 effort, economic development officials hope to identify at least 25 companies that will be interested in either moving their companies to Niagara County or expanding existing operations within the county during the next several years. Working with the marketing consultant, Fred Teeter of Teeter Marketing Services, the county will target southern manufacturers whose operations rely heavily on the use of not only water, but electricity, another resource available to county business owners through the New York Power Authority. Ideally, county officials would like to focus on companies that already have a connection to Niagara County and may be interested in relocating “sister” operations from the south due to extremely dry conditions.

“We are basically promoting the fact that Niagara County has an abundance of fresh water that can be used in manufacturing and other types of businesses,” said Economic Development Commissioner Samuel Ferraro. “We want these companies to know that if they are interested in expanding or doing business in the Northeast, then they should look at Niagara County.” More here.