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SUNY Potsdam President Schwaller says college, community could benefit from Gov. Cuomo's 'Tax Free NY' plan

Posted 6/4/13

POTSDAM -- SUNY Potsdam President John Schwaller said his campus and the surrounding community could benefit from the Tax Free NY program following a presentation from Gov. Andrew Cuomo Monday. …

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SUNY Potsdam President Schwaller says college, community could benefit from Gov. Cuomo's 'Tax Free NY' plan

Posted

POTSDAM -- SUNY Potsdam President John Schwaller said his campus and the surrounding community could benefit from the Tax Free NY program following a presentation from Gov. Andrew Cuomo Monday.

“Governor Cuomo has once again demonstrated his support for the important role that SUNY campuses play in the economic development of New York, especially upstate and in the North Country," Schwaller said. "I am confident that the SUNY Potsdam community -- along with its neighboring campuses -- will explore all opportunities this initiative recommends, as we continue to take the lead in shaping the North Country's resurgence.”

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said the his Tax-Free NY program will transform SUNY campuses and universities into tax-free communities that attract start-ups, venture capital, new business and investments from around the world.

“Today we gathered college presidents and members of the Regional Economic Development Councils to discuss the goals of Tax-Free NY and how to make it a reality,” Governor Cuomo said. “As local leaders, hailing from the private sector and academia, they know best what the assets and needs are in their communities to make Tax-Free NY a success. They are critical partners in attracting new business and jobs, and I look forward to continuing our work together to grow the Upstate economy.”

The Governor met with college presidents and members of the Regional Economic Development Councils today to discuss the implementation of Tax-Free NY, should the Legislature pass the enacting legislation. The meeting featured a keynote speech by Dr. Robert Langer, Institute Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who has 815 issued and pending patents worldwide that have been licensed or sublicensed to over 250 pharmaceutical, chemical, biotechnology and medical device companies.

The meeting today also included several panel discussions on how to make Tax-Free NY a success. Presenters and speakers on the panel included:

· Bob Geolas, President and CEO, Research Triangle Park Foundation of North Carolina;

· Gregory Galvin, President and CEO, Kionix;

· Fernando Gomez-Baquero, Co-Founder and CEO, BESS Technologies;

· Danielle Green, Postdoctoral Fellow, Stony Brook University Biomedical Engineering College;

· Martin Babinec, Founder and Chairman, Upstate Venture Connect;

· Gil Medina, Managing Director, Cushman & Wakefield, Inc.;

· Bela Musits, Dean of the School of Management, Union Graduate College and Founding Partner of High Peaks Venture Partners;

· Stephen Fleming, Vice Provost, Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute

· Dr. Bruce Kingma, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University;

· Marnie Lavigne, Associate Vice President for Economic Development; Director of Business Development, NYS Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences; Co-Director, UB Center for Advanced Biomedical and Bioengineering Technology; and

· James S. Senall, President, High Tech Rochester.