January 9, 2004
Volume 1, Number 11

Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation Selected for Development Work in New York City

New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein, CUNY Executive Vice Chancellor Louise Mirrer, and other CUNY and New York City leaders gathered to announce the funding for a network of Centers of Technology and Arts accompanied by Business Accelerator support programs on University Campuses throughout New York City. According to Speaker Silver, “Public-private partnerships provide the type of innovative economic development opportunities needed to revitalize our State.” He indicated that the first $5 million in their overall funding plan was being “set aside” (matched by federal and foundation sources) for the development of the first Center in Long Island City. With the first Center in the early operational phase, feasibility studies and development work has begun for a second center in Manhattan, a third center in the Bronx and a fourth program initiative at CUNY’s York College Campus. Overall, the plan is for up to six such initiatives.

Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation was hired to conduct the feasibility study and development plan for the first Center (completed in 2002) and has been engaged by CUNY to conduct, at least, the next three feasibility studies and development plans for Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens.

According to Gateways’ President Robert Meeder, each Center will be focused on a particular economic development focus. For example, the Long Island City Center is focused on the borough’s remarkable Arts Loop anchored by the Metropolitan Museum of the Arts recent move to that location. This Center’s goal is to exploit the potential of the Art Loop as an international hub of art and design.

The second Center will be located adjacent to the World Trade Center site and will be focused on First Response Emergency Training and Technology Development with special attention to eight sub-sectors of priority interest in First Response preparedness as defined by Homeland Security, New York’s Urban Security Center, Department of Defense, and the metro-hospital complex.

In addition to the honor to be selected to play a central role in the development of these Centers, Gateways is in process of connecting a number of Pittsburgh-based Centers of Training, Technology, and Service as support to these New York initiatives. As just one example of many - plans are in process to connect Oakland-based Center for Emergency Medicine and the Pitt-UPMC WISER training institute with the First Response Center in Manhattan.

 

According to Gateways’ advisor Dr. Robert Capretto, “Matching the financial and marketing resources of New York with the ‘know-how’ and technology of our region can produce a series of win-win business opportunities for both Western Pennsylvania and New York.” In addition to the Manhattan Project, Dr. Capretto visited the CUNY York College Campus, and toured the FDA’s largest laboratory and its Northeast Regional Headquarters located on campus. This FDA laboratory and field operations are responsible for almost 1/3 of the nations domestic and imported products under the FDA’s jurisdiction. The York campus has unique international access, as it is adjacent to the JFK Corporate Square a new transportation hub connecting existing rail travel from Manhattan to the new 8 minute AirTrain connection to JFK airport. Capretto remarked, “Pennsylvania companies interested in technologies associated with border control, import inspections, etc. should explore the opportunities that will be generated around the Center that Pittsburgh Gateways will help to develop at this campus.”