Rockland Shifts Economic Development Efforts

NEW CITY, NY — Rockland County Executive Ed Day named Jeremy Schulman as his choice for Director of Economic Development and Tourism. Schulman served as CEO and President of the Rockland Economic Development Corporation from November 2017 through last month.

If affirmed by the Legislature, the appointment would be part of a big shift in how future economic development is handled in the county.

REDC Chairman Thomas M. Rau said Schulman's move to the Office of Economic Development would be a tacit acknowledgement of REDC's three decades of success in creating and attracting new businesses and retaining and expanding existing businesses in Rockland County.

"There was a compelling reason to consider a change in strategy and embed many of our duplicative functions into county government - all for the benefit of prospective and existing companies, which the Board will fully evaluate during the coming weeks," Rau said in an announcement.

As CEO of the REDC, Schulman partnered with municipal, county, non-profit and community officials to advance a complementary focus on village centers, gateways, infrastructure, corridors and adaptive reuse to position the county for balanced growth. He oversaw a record number of grant awards to Rockland in the competitive NYS Consolidated Funding process and identified and secured additional funding opportunities for business development.

Schulman was previously the Economic Development Manager for the City of New Rochelle from September 2005 to October 2017.

“Jeremy Schulman has the skill set and experience to build on the success of our Office of Economic Development and Tourism,” said Day in the county's announcement. "He understands what needs to be done and is prepared to step in without missing a beat.”

Day also announced the formation of the Rockland Advisory Council for Economic Development (RACED). RACED will fulfill the advisory functions previously associated with the REDC while other services are performed by the director and the Office of Economic Development and Tourism.

“This type of collaboration and sharing of services is critical to the future success of Rockland County. We will be able to leverage the successes and relationships built by the REDC in the public and private sectors to build upon the $7.5 billion in tax ratable growth since I took office,” said Day.

The money previously budgeted year after year to fund the REDC will be reinvested in the Office of Economic Development and Tourism to further expand upon their efforts with a more streamlined approach. $316,000 was budgeted for the REDC in the 2019 Rockland County Budget.

"Jeremy knows how to work with all these different entities towards the best interests of Rockland businesses and our residents," Day said. "I look forward to working closely with him as we move closer to the bright future we all envision for this county."

Jeremy Schulman replaces former Director Lucy Redzeposki. The job pays $110,377 annually. His start date in Monday, June 3, 2019.

While the missions of REDC and the Rockland County Office of Economic Development and Tourism are similar, the REDC Board of Directors determined that exploring more collaboration with the county will allow both organizations to meet the needs of the local business community with greater efficiency, Rau said.

Incorporated in 1981 as the Greater Rockland Local Development Corporation, today's REDC is a 501c3 not-for-profit contract agency of the County of Rockland, with a Board of Directors comprised of 33 individuals representing a broad spectrum of Rockland County, as required in REDC's by-laws. There are ten ex-officio Directors, who serve by virtue of their governmental or organizational office. GRLDC became REDC in 1987 with the same mission of attracting companies looking to relocate and helping existing industries grow. As a contract agency, REDC has been partially funded by the county.

Key focus areas for REDC and the Office of Economic Development will continue to include healthcare, biomedical science, advanced manufacturing, data centers, craft food and beverage and workforce development, officials said.