Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp. Board welcomes Densmore and Lepore

Goshen, NY Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp. (HVEDC) has appointed Steve Densmore, president and founder of Choice Words LLC and Daniel Lepore, executive vice president of LCS Facility Group, to its Board of Directors.Densmore was also named HVEDC’s official grant writing partner. 

“We are very pleased to welcome these new members to our board,” said Mike Oates, president and CEO of HVEDC. “Their backgrounds touch many different areas, all of which are valuable assets to have on the HVEDC Board of Directors and will be invaluable as HVEDC continues its efforts to work with existing businesses in the Hudson Valley and attract new companies from across the country.”

He has spent the last 25 years working as a communications professional in the Hudson Valley. 

Much of that time he worked for several weekly newspapers and magazines, serving as a reporter, editor and publisher. Densmore was editor and publisher of the Poughkeepsie Beat newspaper prior to founding Choice Words in 2010. He launched Choice Words in response to an increasing call for supportive communications services among Hudson Valley nonprofits. Over the last eight years, Choice Words’ clients – which include nonprofits, colleges, businesses and municipalities – have been awarded more than $64 million in grant funding. On Thursday, New York State awarded the city of New Rochelle – one of Choice Words’ municipal clients – $10 million in funding through the Downtown Revitalization Initiative.

Densmore has served on various boards of directors during his career including the New York Press Association, the Vassar Warner Home of Poughkeepsie, the Barrett Art Center and the environmental advocacy organization, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater.

“My team at Choice Words looks forward to working with Mike Oates and HVEDC to raise funding to support and enhance the economy of the Mid-Hudson Region,” Densmore said. “HVEDC has long been a force for innovation and improvement in our region. It will be a privilege to serve on its board.”

Lepore is executive vice president of LCS Facility Group, the premier outsourcing partner and industry leader in comprehensive facility maintenance solutions. He is an accomplished entrepreneur and the founder of LCS Landscapes, a Poughkeepsie-based firm providing landscape services to the commercial and government sectors throughout New York’s Hudson Valley. Lepore incorporated the company in 2005 and built his team to over 50 employees in a period of five years.

In 2010, Lepore and his father, Joe Lepore, merged LCS Landscapes and LCS Cleaning Services into LCS Facility Group – an organization providing clients with a one company-one solution approach to meeting facility management needs. This organization has since seen explosive growth – hitting the national stage in 2016. The combined companies of LCS Facility Group now employ over 450 team members in New York, Texas and California. Lepore has also started a property investment firm; purchasing and restoring several properties within the Hudson Valley in efforts to re-build the economic environment of the area.

“Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp. is the leading economic development organization in the Hudson Valley,” Lepore said. “I am honored to be a part of this prestigious group and excited to help grow business development in the Hudson Valley.”