Five Questions with Orange County Partnership’s Eckert

GOSHEN—Earlier this month, Conor Eckert took the reins of the Orange County Partnership that for nearly a quarter century was led by the affable and well-respected Maureen Halahan. The young executive and Orange County native has grand plans for the organization and has made no secret that he is thinking “big.”

The business community came out in force on June 3 to wish Halahan a fond farewell as she entered retirement, at the Partnership’s MVP (Most Valuable Partner) Award dinner that also honored Construction Contractors Association Executive Director Alan Seidman. However, the event was not exactly a coming-out for Eckert. Most observers knew that this rising star in the field of economic development was being groomed as Halahan’s replacement from his first day on the job and earlier this year the Partnership announced Eckert had been named Interim CEO.

Halahan, in fact, made it clear that she had grand plans for Eckert when she first hired him as Senior Development Officer and Vice President of Business Attraction in March 2022 at the age of 25 when she said: “The Orange County Partnership has for years attracted the finest home-grown talent and our addition of Conor Eckert continues this fine tradition. We have had our eye on Conor ever since he graduated from SUNY Binghamton and since then we have watched him develop his craft in the Town of Montgomery. He is a well-respected and knowledgeable young professional who is going to hit the ground running here at the Orange County Partnership.”

When he first joined the Orange County Partnership, Eckert was already widely known and respected in the business and economic development communities in Orange County and the Mid-Hudson region. He served almost two years as the Executive Director of the Town of Montgomery Industrial Development Agency and Director of Economic Development for the Town of Montgomery where he was involved in helping attract and secure incentives for new projects that included the new Amazon fulfillment center.

He was responsible for the business attraction, retention and expansion efforts in the Town of Montgomery, managing a growing project portfolio of more than $200 million. He also managed the public and community affairs and operations of the IDA. During his time with the Montgomery IDA, he spearheaded new marketing initiatives, community engagement events and initiated and implemented successful economic development strategies.

Eckert, an Orange County resident, is a graduate of Pine Bush High School and Orange County Community College. He graduated in 2019 from SUNY Binghamton with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Government and earned his Master’s Degree of Public Administration from SUNY Binghamton in 2020.

For more than three years Eckert worked with Halahan on major transactions and initiatives and now hopes to lead the organization in new directions that will take advantage of the economic landscape of today and tomorrow. To get a glimpse into Eckert’s plans going forward, see below:

Real Estate In-Depth: Your first day was on June 3 as CEO of the Orange County Partnership. You take on the job after Maureen Halahan's more than 20 years of leading the organization? What are your thoughts on your new position and Maureen's contributions to the region during her tenure?

Eckert: That’s a good question. I think I will start with the second part of your question with Maureen. She has left a legacy that few people ever had before. She is a force, she is a legend and I am blessed to have her as a mentor and learn from Maureen. She really helped form a lot of my approach and a lot of people’s approach to economic development and (forging) relationships. The legacy she left is unmatched and stands on its own. It’s an honor for me to fill in her shoes and continue her legacy.

On the position, it is equally an honor to run the organization. We have got an almost 40-year history here of advancing economic development. I am a local guy. I was born and raised here. For me to be able to run an organization that can directly impact the way our community looks and feels and to advance the economy is an honor. Personally, a large goal of mine is for the companies we attract, I want to keep our young people and our talent, so that they don’t have to go to New York City or other major markets. So, to be able to play a role in that and to lead this organization, with the legacy of Maureen, that can impact the community for the better—that’s deeply meaningful for me.

Real Estate In-Depth: At the Most Valuable Partner event recently, you said the Partnership will not be afraid to take a "big swing" at large investment projects. Does Orange County have the sites, the infrastructure and the available qualified workforce to attract such mega-projects?

Eckert: That’s the question that communities across the country are asking themselves in the context of the scale and velocity of projects that are looking to populate across the United States. I would say that yes, we are going to take big swings and be bold and aggressive because we need to, because we are now not just competing with our counterparts in the Northeast… but we are competing for projects with other countries and other regions across the United States of America.

Concerning your question on whether we have the assets to compete with these sectors, I think it is a strong “Yes". And when we look at these sectors that we are talking about—pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing, food and beverage and semiconductors, specifically the (semiconductor) supply chain, you are not looking at projects that need a gigawatt of power and five million gallons of water and sewer a day. Those sites are very difficult to find just generally in the country. You are looking at requirements that are anywhere from 250,000 to 500,000 gallons of water and sewer a day, anywhere from 5 to 20 megawatts of power and 250,000 square feet to 800,000 square feet of space. These are scaled projects and the types of infrastructure we can accommodate. Particularly, we are excited about pharmaceutical production given the heritage of pharma innovation in the region. We think Orange County is the next logical area of pharmaceutical growth in the region, expanding from Westchester and Rockland. We are also excited about the semiconductor supply chain and that is the production of tools and equipment and front- and back-end R&D and advanced packaging. Now, these projects are not as intensive as a fab (facility) where you need a gigawatt of power. Those aforementioned projects are right in our wheelhouse from an infrastructure, talent and site perspectives.

Real Estate In-Depth: The Orange County Partnership has made a distinct pivot towards attempting to attract advanced technology firms to the county. Can you explain the reasons behind this new initiative and its chances of success?

Eckert: I think the reason is that the diversity of the economy is the resilience of the economy. As the world changes around us, we took a look at Orange County and generally the Hudson Valley and I think we have a story to tell as it comes to attracting advanced sectors given our access to markets, talent, site development and infrastructure. This diversity is critical for the economic sustainability of our market, but it is also an opportunity I think to change the fundamentals of the market. And I think there is a high chance of success. Just look at the existing regional ecosystem of Regeneron, Pfizer, Pratt & Whitney and President Container and recently Poly Craft and Tesla… We have this heritage of advanced technology and manufacturing in this region and Orange County has a proliferation of shovel-ready sites, infrastructure and strong leadership from the top to the bottom. So, I think the ecosystem, in addition to the market fundamentals of labor, talent, sites, infrastructure and markets positions us well to capture this advanced technology economy.

When we say advanced technology, we really mean pharmaceutical manufacturing, food and beverage, semiconductors and the semiconductor supply chain, clean tech and clean tech production. There are some exciting opportunities and we are seeing these projects come across our desks in a way that we have never seen before. So, we are getting the at-bats and we are taking a swing.

Real Estate In-Depth: Speaking of large projects, Scannell Development and Amazon were recently turned aside in a vote by the Zoning Board of Appeals for a 3.2-million-square-foot robotic distribution center in the Town of Wawayanda. This I believe would have been the largest private industrial project in the history of Orange County and would have infused millions of dollars into the local economy and created hundreds of construction jobs and more than 750 permanent jobs upon completion. What are your thoughts on this project and the reasons why it failed to secure local approvals necessary to proceed?

Eckert: We continue to stand firmly in support of the proposed Amazon project in the Town of Wawayanda, recognizing the significant economic and community benefits it would bring to the region. We appreciate the concerns raised by the local zoning board and will continue to assess the situation moving forward.

At the same time, we remain deeply energized by the growing activity and opportunities emerging across the Orange County market. This summer, we anticipate announcing several key projects spanning multiple sectors, including Life Sciences, Food & Beverage, and Logistics.

The momentum in Orange County is undeniable, and we are excited to help drive the next wave of sustainable development that will benefit not only the local economy but the broader community as well.

Real Estate In-Depth: What do you believe are the key impediments to economic growth in Orange County?

Eckert: I think our impediments are the same as what communities are facing across the country. One is ensuring that infrastructure is modernized to the point that we can keep up with the velocity of projects that we are seeing. When you look at the country, 70% of the country’s transmission and distribution infrastructure is over 20 years old. As we are seeing a proliferation of data centers, semiconductors and battery manufacturing plants, it becomes difficult as a country for us to site these projects. So, when you look at the infrastructure map as a country and Orange County is included in that, we need to keep our eye on the ball when it comes to power and utility infrastructure. Also, I don’t think it is a problem but more of an opportunity is that our market is proactively training the talent of tomorrow for advanced manufacturing skills. That is a critical initiative for us to stay ahead of the curve and having the talent for these (advanced) manufacturing projects will always be a key variable. We have our eye on that and we are going to make sure we are training the workforce of tomorrow 10 years before we have a project.

Also, housing has become part of the equation in a way I haven’t seen before in industrial site selection. I have projects asking me how many units of housing are generally under construction within a 45-minute radius of the site. So, the industrial projects, especially the innovative sectors like pharmaceutical manufacturing and life sciences, are asking about these quality of life amenities, not just housing, but access to mass transportation, walkability and quality of life are all creeping in. But housing has become a key variable for not just retaining our talent, but attracting companies and attracting new talent to the community.