In what's been called the hunger games of upstate New York the Southern Tier has put in it's bid to win half a billion dollars in economic development money from the state. Our area is one of seven regions in upstate New York taking part in the upstate revitalization initiative. Today is the deadline for regional economic development councils to submit their plans. The Southern Tier's plan focuses on building on the transportation industry, agriculture, and an advanced industries cluster.

"We found the companies that manufacture parts equipment for transportation vehicles has a location quotient of nine, which means we have nine times more density of those kinds of jobs and those kinds of companies here than the average on a per capita basis." - Harvey Stenger, President of Binghamton University. The proposal for the Southern Tier's regional economic development plan is available online at regionalcouncils.ny.gov