Saratoga County Warehouse, Logistics Index to be unveiled
MALTA, N.Y. >> The Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership, a Saratoga County-based economic development organization, will soon unveil the first-ever Saratoga County Warehouse and Logistics Index.
The index seeks to quantify the economic impact of the warehouse and logistics sector on Saratoga County and the surrounding region. The Saratoga Partnership is working with the Saratoga, Warren, Washington Workforce Development Board, Warren County EDC, and Washington County Economic Development to develop the index.
The release of the index, at a luncheon on Tuesday, July 23 in Saratoga Springs, will be followed by a presentation from national warehouse and logistics expert Tim Feemster of Foremost Quality Logistics. The event will also include a panel discussion featuring regional industry stakeholders, including Michael Kelly, Business Development Manager at Logistics One. Additional panelists will be announced in the coming weeks.
Local industry stakeholders are encouraged to include their insight by completing a brief Pulse Survey regarding their experiences, expectations and challenges. Individual answers will be held in strict confidence; results will be aggregated and shared at the luncheon.
“The vibrant and expanding warehouse and logistics sector is an important asset within Saratoga County’s fast-growing economy,” said Marty Vanags, president of the Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership, in a press release. “We are delighted to work with our partners in Warren and Washington counties to assess the regional economic impact of this vital industry, and look forward to hearing from stakeholders how we can assist their future success and growth.”
Ed Bartholomew, president and CEO of EDC Warren County, added that the organization is pleased to join other regional economic development and workforce partners in Warren, Washington and Saratoga Counties “in this important effort to determine what issues and challenges are top priority in order to provide the resources necessary to grow/ retain existing businesses as well as attract and/or nurture new ones,” he said in the release. “The user-friendly online survey of our companies that utilize warehousing and/or logistics in any way for their business will help give us a clearer snapshot of the topic and hopefully give guidance on ways we can provide meaningful assistance. There is no doubt that the warehouse and logistics component of our local and regional businesses is a critically important one in today’s rapidly changing economic environment.”
“Regionally, many of our businesses face similar hurdles as they continually seek ways to improve services and decrease costs in an increasingly competitive world,” said Laura Oswald, director of economic development for Washington County, in the release. “Product distribution and logistics is a hurdle that can potentially be addressed with collaborative regional solutions; however, any effective solution must be built on equally addressing issues faced by business in Washington, Saratoga and Warren Counties. The first step in this process is to define and prioritize these issues, and we strongly encourage Washington County businesses to participate in this process.”
Douglas E. Leavens, executive director of the Saratoga, Warren, Washington Workforce Development Board said in the release,
“The Workforce Development Board is proud to be a partner with other workforce entities sponsoring the Warehouse and Logistics Index event and related follow-up activities. It is important that workforce-oriented groups pull together to develop solutions based on the needs of our business community and together address common workforce issues within the Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties region. The board believes that forming partnerships is a very important element to ensure economic success in our region.”
The index release event begins at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 23, at Prime at Saratoga National, 458 Union Avenue, Saratoga Springs. Pre-registration is available online at www.eventbrite.com/e/ saratoga-county-warehouse-and-logistics-index-july-23-2019-tickets63438489229?aff=ebdssbd estsearch.
The Saratoga County Economic Index is a quarterly event that examines the economic impact of various industries in the region. Previous indexes have focused on areas such as Manufacturing, Real Estate , Agriculture, and Arts and Culture.