Think Dutchess
Welcome to the home page of the Dutchess County Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC)
DCEDC is the central point of contact for business development needs and activities in Dutchess County. It’s a business-led, nationally recognized economic development corporation, whose mission is to attract, retain, and expand for-profit and not-for-profit businesses for the benefit of Dutchess County. DCEDC’s organizational structure includes programs in:
- Business retention and expansion,
Dutchess County Data and Business Resources - Empire Zone administration
- Industrial Development Agency ( DCIDA ) liaison
- Financial counseling and deal structuring
- External marketing
- Commerical Real Estate Listings
- Dutchess County Tourism
- Telecommunications and broadband access
- Municipal advocacy
For more information about DCEDC, use the navigation bar to access About DCEDC. For information about major area employers, sales tax, workforce, per-capita income and unemployment rate, population, mileage to major cities, and more, use the navigation bar to access Dutchess County Data.
In the Dutchess County Spotlight
"I Love NY" Honors go to Dutchess County Tourism, a division of DCEDC
At the Governor’s Tourism Conference held recently in Lake George, Dutchess County Tourism won two of the seven awards presented. One award was for Best Travel Guide, and the other award, the Motorcoach Distinguished Service Award, went to Donna Haynes, Group Tour Manager with Dutchess County Tourism. The I LOVE NEW YORK Tourism Awards recognize individuals and organizations making significant contributions to the state’s multibillion-dollar tourism industry.
The Dutchess County Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC) Is Celebrating Its 30th Anniversary in 2008
Yes! We hear the sound of well-earned applause. During three exciting decades that included periods of economic sea change both regionally and nationally, DCEDC has grown to be widely recognized as one of the top economic development groups in the United States.
In honor of our 30th Anniversary, we think you’ll allow us to toot our own horn by mentioning a few of our Year 2007 outcomes:
- 517 individual businesses assisted (approximately 25% received more than one type of assistance, i.e., financial, counseling, Empire Zone)
- 280 jobs added by businesses we have worked with (net of jobs created and deleted including business attraction, business expansion, and Poughkeepsie/Dutchess Empire Zone)
- 13,863 employees are represented by businesses DCEDC worked with in 2007 (excluding IBM)
- $200 million invested by small businesses (employment less than 500).
- $400 million invested by large businesses (employment over 500)
- $1.3 million in low-cost loans secured for two industrial expansions
- $260,000 in grants secured for local businesses
Dutchess County Tourism, a division of DCEDC, established outstanding benchmarks during 2007. These included:
- 115 tourism businesses were assisted 80,000 Travel Guides were distributed to assist visitors to Dutchess County from across the state and around the world
- 666,600 visitors logged on to the tourism website (www.dutchesstourism.com) during 2007—a record number
- 2007 saw the initiation of a new, highly successful program that not only supports local tourism but also supports local agriculture, the Dutchess County Farm Fresh Agritourism program. The program brings residents of New York City to Dutchess County for a day to visit farms and rural communities (link).
- Bed tax revenue to Dutchess County brought in an estimated $2 million
DCEDC exists to attract, retain, and expand for-profit and not-for-profit business in Dutchess County. We look forward to continuing this critically important work for many, many decades into the future.
Applause for Dutchess County
For a listing of accolades received during 2007 by Dutchess County from sources including Milken Institute, U.S. Department of Labor, and Forbes magazine—see “The Accolades – Dutchess County, New York” in the Dutchess County Data section.
Top Dutchess County Employers Honored in Event That Draws Record Attendance and Newsmedia Coverage.
Described by The Poughkeepsie Journal as “a major “go-to event,” the 2007 DCEDC Business Excellence Awards, held at The Grandview on November 8 was a hit. See News and Events for details.....
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