It seemed simultaneous that when we visited Allegany County the skies suddenly parted ways, beaming sun down on our skin. It felt appropriate for being on the haven that is the SUNY Alfred State College School of Applied Technology.
The campus has a self-sufficient, utopian community feel to it, where the Dean’s office is located in a zero-energy home built by students. It is right around the corner from the master bedroom, which has been converted into a conference room. A pizza oven isn’t out of reach, either.
Zero-Enery home built entirely by Alfred State students.
Down the road a bit is the sustainable advanced manufacturing building. The building was a $5 million project with $500,000 in Empire State Development incentives. It contains a welding facility, in which students are creating projects as big as meat smokers and boat rigs. The School of Applied Technology campus is for two-year students working in intensive trades. They spend upwards of five-hours on a machine daily mastering their craft. 
In Allegany County, everything is advanced. They’re doing economic development from an early stage, partnering with universities and training the future workforce of their area for the industries and companies they attract. They’re setting themselves up for long-term success.
At the head of it is Dr. Craig Clark, Vice President for Economic Development at Alfred State College and Executive Director of the Allegany IDA.
“Schools have been at the center of our economic development,” Dr. Clark said.
Walking around each of our stops, there wasn’t a person Dr. Clark didn’t know or ask how they were doing. He works for both the college and the IDA, creating a synergy we have not seen in any of our other visits. He knows his area’s niche and is working hard to leverage it further.
What we learned in Allegany County
Over the past few weeks, we at InBN have pounded the pavement in preparation and celebration of Economic Development Week, May 8-13. We’ve reached out to each of our eight counties, visiting our IDA partners, and touring economic development projects of impact in the area. This is what we learned in Allegany County:
Technology cluster is emerging
With the high technology work being done on Alfred University's campus, there is now a burgeoning industry in the area. Tons of new technology has been installed, some of which is completely unique to Alfred.
Belvac Production Machinery, Inc., headquartered in Lynchburg, Virginia, purchased a ceramic company in Alfred and is manufacturing ceramic tooling to form metal beverage cans. The original company, Xylon Technical Ceramics, was a Start-Up NY company and has now added five new jobs following a $1 million investment. The educational and professional output of intense advanced manufacturing is a testament to how much progress is being made in Allegany County.
Nano-technology is now
A new micro-nano fabrication laboratory on Alfred State's campus has caught the eyes of many in the technology world. It features a clean room for advanced device, microstructure, and circuit development. And it isn’t done yet. The lab is adding technology and constantly looking to stay on the cutting edge of the industry. The facility was part of a SUNY 2020 grant. They have garnered interest from companies as notable as SolarCity.
“We are training the next generation of high-tech workforces,” said David Hunt, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Technology with Alfred State.
Photos by Casi Hall