Message from the BDC Board of Directors

Cortland County is at the heart of a great region: Upstate New York

Cortland is the eastern gateway to the Finger Lakes, one of the most scenic areas in the northeast with rolling hills, glacial lakes and stunning vistas dotted with wineries, farmsteads and charming historic villages. At the same time, Cortland's direct access to Interstate 81 and quick connections to I-90, I-88 and the future I-86 also make it a gateway to the most affluent market in the Western Hemisphere with access to half the income, half the business sales and half the population of the United States and Canada.

It's clear that Cortland's competitive asset is regional brainpower. We have a world class R&D infrastructure here, located within 30 minutes of three New York State Centers for Advanced Technology at Cornell University, Syracuse University and SUNY Binghamton that are producing leading edge breakthroughs in biotechnology and life sciences, software engineering and integrated electronics. Just next door is SUNY Upstate Medical University. There are not many places that can boast such convenient access to world class research universities and a medical university center. Cortland also has tremendous educational assets right here in our own community, with SUNY Cortland, and a first class community college, TC3. There are few regions anywhere with such a concentration of technical expertise and research capacity. And this concentration of colleges and universities makes for great education-industry partnerships, as well as a vibrant cultural life.

Cortland County's best asset is people. While many regions are pressed to find good workers, we have a labor supply with a work ethic that is unmatched. In fact, a recent workforce study by The Pathfinders -- a Dallas, Texas-based site selection and location analysis consulting company -- indicated that labor availability in this region is among the best anywhere, and that workers here are among the most reliable and productive in the country. Out of 100 studies conducted by The Pathfinders of other labor markets around the country, only Spokane, Washington ranked higher nationally for productivity. In particular, this region fared extremely well against the South and Southwest where labor is considerably more expensive and productivity is much lower.

All of these reasons may be why Site Selection Magazine has twice picked Cortland as one of the Top 50 US Small Towns for new and expanded corporate facilities. And eWeek recently ranked Upstate as one of the country's newest employment hot spots for information technology, along with the Washington, DC region, and Southern California. The difference, of course, is that you can afford to buy a great house here and lead a great lifestyle that can't be matched in those rat race places -- reasons that Cortland also ranked as one of the top ten places to live in the northeast in Life In America's Small Cities. There's no better place to raise a family and grow a business.

Cortland has a proud heritage and a clear vision of the future. We have strong community partnerships and a great spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation. All these are just some of the reasons why Cortland has become one of Upstate New York's success stories, with more than $100 million in recent private sector investment.

We invite you to explore this website and see for yourself why Cortland is a great place to live, work and invest!