Patrick Doyle - As the economy continues to improve, Binghamton is the perfect choice for growing companies

This summer consider bringing your business to Binghamton. In Binghamton you will have convenient access to more than 60% of the North American population including two of the most important metroplexes in the world: Boston-Washington in the United States and Toronto-Montreal in Canada. We are located along the critical Interstate 81 corridor between Syracuse and Scranton; close to major markets without the traffic and other headaches associated with larger population centers. Binghamton businesses participate in one of the most creative economies in the United States. When it comes to patents per capita, industry clusters, and research capacity, Binghamton ranks up there with Cambridge, Austin, and San Jose. The June issue of WIRED Magazine features a map of the "emerging epicenters" for high tech growth. Binghamton is on that map. We have strong clusters in aerospace, software, advanced manufacturing, communications, simulation, food production and distribution. Binghamton is home to many household name companies including Lockheed Martin, Gannett, IBM, Frito Lay, L-3 Communications, Endicott Interconnect and BAE Systems. Binghamton companies make stuff. Consider the people of McIntosh Laboratory. A hand-crafted manufacturer of world class luxury audio equipment, McIntosh has been in business in Binghamton since 1949. The new Chrysler 300 ad featuring John Varvatos has a cool close up of the McIntosh Blue Meter that was designed and is manufactured in Binghamton. A key regional asset is Binghamton University, a premier global public institution ranked by Kiplinger's Personal Finance as one of the best values in public colleges anywhere. The university features stellar academics, amazing research, and a strong international focus. This spring, Newman Development Group, a national leader in commercial retail and student housing real estate, began construction on Twin River Commons, a student housing community adjacent to Binghamton University's Downtown Center and one of the largest privately developed projects in the city in recent memory. This project and several others are set to attract hundreds of students downtown and further catalyze the revitalization of one of the most significant downtowns in the northeast. We are proud of the Charles Street Business Park in Binghamton, a partnership among Empire State Development, the city of Binghamton, and the Broome County IDA. By creatively adapting a brownfield we have developed one of the premier technology business parks in the northeast. The 32 acre site is home to Emerson Network Power's 40,000 s/f Binghamton headquarters. People from all over the world visit Emerson to learn about the latest technologies that protect and support business critical systems. Charles Street is in a Federal HUBZone creating many potential advantages for businesses that locate there. Please contact us or visit www.bcida.com for more information. In Greater Binghamton, quality of life means excellent schools, an opera and a symphony, strong minor league baseball and hockey, Division I athletics, and a fast-growing arts scene. The Binghamton Senators, our American Hockey League franchise affiliated with Ottawa, is as of this writing poised to play in the Calder Cup finals for the first time in nearly 20 years. According to U.S. News and World Report, Binghamton is among the most affordable places to retire in the United States. And we were thrilled when the Farmers Insurance Group named Binghamton the 8th safest place to live among communities its size in the United States. Binghamton's superb transportation system makes it possible to get to the Adirondacks, the Poconos, and the tremendous fly-fishing along the Delaware River in a matter of hours. We have some of the best golf courses in the northeast. In the metropolitan area you can wait hours for a tee time. In Binghamton, it's a mere few minutes. And if you like winery tours and tastings we are a short distance from the Finger Lakes, one of the Wine Spectator's emerging wine regions in the world. With the cost of energy on the rise, Binghamton's location, technology and quality of life make more sense than ever. For more on business in our region, visit the BCIDA's website, www.bcida.com which includes a searchable property database, an interactive profile of the area, and links to our incentives and programs. Patrick Doyle is the director, business development at Broome County IDA, Binghamton, N.Y.