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Kevin Law

Newsletters March 27, 2020

No. 487: A new academic president, an old telephonic precedent, and innovation saves the world, once again

  Breathe easy: Another workweek under COVID-19’s cruel lash comes to an indistinct end, dear readers, as Friday arrives and another homebound weekend begins. Yes, the kids are going cave-happy and the only thing that seems to change day-to-day is the primetime TV lineup, but consider this silver lining: With fewer planes, trains and automobiles buzzing about, air quality is rapidly improving around the world. Front-row seat: It’s March 27 out there, which is of…

Media February 6, 2020

In reality, a STEM spin on LI workforce development

By GREGORY ZELLER // Albany’s biggest economic engine is hitting the gas on a clever, multifaceted Long Island workforce-development initiative, offering a reality-TV look at the Island’s thriving 21st century industries. The Empire State Development Corp. is joining the Long Island STEM Hub – a consortium of regional educators, executives and other stakeholders boosting regional science, technology, engineering and mathematics industries – to launch “Full STEM Ahead Long Island,” a new video series pushing STEM…

Newsletters January 17, 2020

No. 467: In which law firms and the universe expand, and offshore wind goes to school

  Well played: You’ve done it again, dear reader – the workweek is winding down and a well-earned (if wintry) weekend awaits. Butter believe it: It’s Jan. 17 out there, and here’s a toast to your efforts – celebrating one of the oldest blended beverages in mixological history, today is National Hot Buttered Rum Day. Not to mention National Bootlegger’s Day. Shirley Temples for you: They’re too young for booze, but raise a glass anyway…

The Debrief January 13, 2020

Debrief: Abiding Kevin Law, as LI collides with destiny

  Hard to believe, but it’s been five long years since Innovate LI last Debriefed Kevin Law, who’s now logged a full decade as President and CEO of the Long Island Association. As 2020 dawns, the primary influencer and leading architect of regional socioeconomics is enjoying another “Top Performer” effort by the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council (the council, which Law co-chairs with Hofstra University President Stuart Rabinowitz, snagged $87.9 million in Albany’s ninth-annual…

Economic Development October 2, 2019

In 2019 plan, LIREDC ‘doubles down’ on what works

By GREGORY ZELLER // From the If It Ain’t Broke file comes the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, which covers proven ground in its annual progress report/wish list to the Empire State Development Corp. Meeting ESD’s yearly Oct. 1 submission deadline, the LIREDC slapped a new title on its 2019 report (“Long Island: Breaking Down Barriers”) but filled it with a familiar mix of success stories and future ambitions, largely focused on the Island’s…

Newsletters September 27, 2019

No. 441: Golden in Montauk, healthy at Hofstra and an anniversary with a Big A

  End run: Protect the ball and follow your blockers, dear readers, as we break from the scrum of another busy workweek and sprint toward the first weekend of Fall 2019. It’s Friday out there, and a rare one indeed, when even Forbes is excited about the New York Giants. Make a day of it: It’s Sept. 27 and that brings an unusual selection of “holidays” – Ancestor Appreciation Day, Hug a Vegetarian Day, National…

Voices August 16, 2019

As workforce development evolves, childcare shall lead

By ROSALIE DRAGO // At a recent Long Island Regional Development Council meeting, co-chairman and Long Island Association President Kevin Law earned rousing applause when he said, “Childcare is not a mother’s problem or a parent’s problem – it is an economic-development problem and our region’s problem.” As a workforce-development professional, a parent and a Long Islander, this was good to hear. It’s tempting to see childcare as a value-add, especially now. Current job market…

Economic Development June 11, 2019

Stakeholders unite to support pharma/nutra’s future

By GREGORY ZELLER // With more than 150 companies and 9,800-plus employees, the pharmaceutical/nutraceutical industry is already a Long Island cornerstone – and some major regional stakeholders want to see it grow. On Tuesday, the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency and the Workforce Development Institute officially introduced “Driving Suffolk County’s Innovation Economy: The Pharmaceutical/Nutraceutical Growth Factor,” a 48-page report detailing pharma/nutra’s impressive growth over the last decade and the unique obstacles the industry faces on…

Clean Energy March 21, 2019

Island’s first large-scale digester to feed energy needs

By GREGORY ZELLER // If you’ve had a bellyful of landfill waste, hang on – Long Island’s first stand-alone large-scale anaerobic digester is finally on its way. The Long Island Power Authority’s Board of Trustees has approved an energy contract with a new food waste-recycling facility in Yaphank, claiming to be capable of reducing Island-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 85,000 metric tons annually – the equivalent of removing 18,000 cars from regional roads, according to…

Economic Development December 18, 2018

Lower-tier LI consoled by $68M in 2018 REDC awards

By GREGORY ZELLER // If $68.3 million for workforce development and affordable housing programs is losing, Long Island will take it. That’s the Island’s haul in the 2018 Regional Economic Development Council competition, announced Tuesday by Empire State Economic Development Corp. President and CEO Howard Zemsky. Zemsky, also commissioner of the New York State Department of Economic Development, presented all 10 winners of the annual statewide development competition, each representing one of 10 economic-development zones….

Economic Development October 2, 2018

Past success, future hopes fuel LIREDC’s 2018 report

By GREGORY ZELLER // The Long Island Regional Economic Development Council has met its Oct. 1 deadline and submitted its annual progress report/wish list to the Empire State Development Corp., Albany’s main economic-development engine. The 2018 progress report, titled “Long Island: Completing the Puzzle,” both highlights the efforts of the Long Island REDC since Gov. Andrew Cuomo launched his competitive statewide economic-development program in 2011 and lists the projects the regional council hopes to support…

Biotech June 6, 2018

Albany backs NYIT’s next-gen bioengineering lab

By GREGORY ZELLER // A new bioengineering laboratory is coming to the New York Institute of Technology’s Old Westbury campus, thanks to a hefty state award. The Empire State Development Corp. on Wednesday announced a $150,000 grant that will help NYIT establish the Bio-Nanotechnology and Biomaterials Laboratory, a research- and innovation-focused bioengineering lab packed with next-level tech facilitating specialized research into complex bioengineering, artificial-intelligence and life-sciences issues. The grant was awarded through Round 7 of…

Transportation December 13, 2017

After decades of debate, $2B LIRR ‘third track’ is a go

By GREGORY ZELLER // All aboard – the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has approved a roughly $2 billion deal to design and build the Long Island Rail Road’s long-debated “third track.” The contract approved Wednesday by the MTA Board of Directors with Lawrence-based 3rd Track Constructors – a joint venture uniting New York City-based Dragados USA Inc., Lawrence-based John P. Picone Inc., Nanuet-based Halmar International LLC and Brooklyn-based CCA Civil Inc. – officially weighed in at…

Economic Development December 13, 2017

Long Island REDC rebounds with ‘Top’ $84.3M haul

By GREGORY ZELLER // The Long Island Regional Economic Development Council is back on top, once again ranked as a “Top Performer” in Albany’s annual REDC sweepstakes with a hefty $84.3 million haul. That’s terrific news for the “priority” and “regionally significant” projects on the LIREDC’s 2017 wish list, which included funding for a waterfront revitalization effort in Greenport, a new technology-focused Digital Ballpark business incubator in the Wyandanch Village development and 31 other projects…