The Central Upstate Regional Alliance is a partnership of representatives from private businesses, colleges and universities, not-for-profits, and leading economic development organizations throughout upstate New York that
recognize that regional collaboration is the core of an effective, globally competitive economic development strategy.
One of the Alliance’s early goals was to develop a regional identity to highlight the region’s assets in academia, business innovation, natural landscapes, and quality of life.
New York’s Creative Core® [www.creativecoreny.com] was developed as the brand used to communicate these identified regional strengths. Creative Core branding tools can be used by its more than 250 partners in conjunction with their existing marketing efforts, while linking them to the broader strategy for enhancing the region’s profile.
To further this effort, several initiatives have been developed, including:
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New York’s Creative Core® $200,000 Emerging Business Competition: The largest privately sponsored emerging business competition in the country which fosters entrepreneurship, innovation, and small business development.
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EssentialNYJobs.com: A fast, free job search resource that identifies thousands of available employment opportunities in the twelve-county CenterState Region.
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Project ION: Aligning workforce development to real opportunities by connecting more than 2,000 students with internships throughout the region.
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CreativeCoreNY.com: The public portal for the regional branding effort and the tool for communicating regional values, programs, and initiatives. Users can search thousands of job postings for Central New York employers, take a virtual tour of the region’s countless amenities and resources, and learn more about emerging business sectors and vibrant communities throughout the region.
The twelve-county Central Upstate Regional Alliance includes Cayuga, Cortland, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Seneca, St. Lawrence, and Tompkins counties, whose partners work collaboratively to address common challenges and advance unique opportunities for the benefit of the entire region.
For more information on Central Upstate Regional Alliance and Creative Core Programs, contact Elle Stasz at estasz@centerstateceo.com.