DAN ORZECHOWSKI
Staff Writer
President Virginia Horvath was appointed to co-chair the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Feb. 10.
Having been on the REDC since 2015, Horvath will now lead the council with co-chair Jeff Belt, president of SolEpoxy, Inc.
“I’ve enjoyed working with Dr. Horvath. She helped us present our regional progress report in Albany this past autumn. She’s going to be an outstanding and energizing co-chair,” said Belt.
Since 2011, New York’s 10 regional councils have been developing long-term economic plans for their regions. Each council is led by two chairs: a university representative and a business leader. Councils are responsible for allocating money to state projects.
The regional councils were established by Cuomo in an effort to create a bottom-up approach to job investment and economic growth. Rather than Albany reviewing state funding applications from all over the state, the REDC receives and prioritizes its region’s requests.
In 2012, Cuomo announced the launch for the Buffalo Billion initiative. The state allocated $1 billion dollars to help establish projects like the Better Buffalo Fund, Northland Avenue Corridor and Outer Harbor State Park. The Buffalo Billion is expected to mimic Albany’s successful rise in becoming a world leader in advanced manufacturing.
As the new co-chair, Horvath said that she is excited about being more involved in the state funding approval process.
“I can help our community compete for [state funding], and I can make sure that the funding priorities for western New York extend to our county, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties as well,” she said.
Horvath explained that the Central Connection program that promotes tourism to Dunkirk and Fredonia is an example of REDC funding.
“A lot of our legislators are from down state, so they don’t really think about our region as something that can be done with,” Horvath said. “But people are looking at the transformation in Buffalo and saying, ‘Wow, that’s been amazing’ and people are realizing what that kind of investment can do.”
Horvath considers SUNY Fredonia to be an “economic driver” because of its employment and the goods and services it provides. She believes that the REDC will help persuade students into staying in western New York.
The REDC is far from the only board where Horvath represents Fredonia. She also serves on the board of directors for the high school she attended, Brooks Memorial Hospital, the Girl Scouts of Western New York, the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce, the Dunkirk Salvation Army and the Fredonia Opera House.
Horvath understands that she’s greatly involved in external activity, but she insisted that this is another opportunity to advertise and advocate for Fredonia.
“People don’t know that a lot of my time is spent on meetings off campus and promoting the campus and making sure that our programs are relevant,” said Horvath.
“[Fredonia] is a state university of New York, so I’d like to give back to the state. I feel that we have a role to play by giving back to the state and helping with economic development.”
Belt said Horvath is “one of our most involved members” and that he looks forward “to this new partnership as the council investment, creates jobs and leverages the private sector in our five-county region.”