Central New York to Host 2017 Welcoming Economies Convening

Syracuse, NY - CenterState CEO and Welcoming Economies (WE) Global Network are proud to announce they will host the 5th Annual Welcoming Economies Convening in Syracuse, bringing together more than 350 leaders from across the country who are committed to welcoming, retaining and empowering new Americans as valued contributors to regional economies.

The highlight of the Welcoming Economies Convening will be a day-long public conference featuring presentations by local and national leaders covering the topics of: workforce development, entrepreneurship and business, business engagement, neighborhood development, social cohesion and equity, and organizational capacity building.

The Convening builds on work being done by CenterState CEO to understand the impact new Americans have on metro Syracuse’s economy and how the community can harness its skills and talents to drive opportunities.

“Central New York’s foreign-born community members impact the labor economy as business owners and entrepreneurs who provide job opportunities for other residents, ”said Dominic Robinson, vice president of Economic Inclusion at CenterState CEO. “Additionally, they often come with skills and knowledge to support regional businesses as employees. With the region battling population loss, and urban and rural blight, the influx of refugees and immigrants has helped to reduce rates of vacancy in the housing market creating a stabilizing effect. As the region’s leading economic and business development organization, CenterState CEO is excited to host the 2017 Convening and discuss ways to support and integrate refugees and immigrants to drive neweconomic prosperity.”

The Welcoming Economies Convening will focus on new American economic development and welcoming efforts championed by local chambers of commerce, economic development agencies, mayors and county executives, universities, research and policy institutions, and other community leaders. The panels and discussions are designed to strengthen the work, maximize the impact, and sustain the efforts of individual local initiatives that welcome, retain, and empower immigrant communities as valued contributors to local economies.

"Rust Belt leaders, like CenterState CEO, are spearheading regional immigrant and refugee
integration and economic development initiatives. The Convening is an opportunity for a wide range of community, business, economic, nonprofit, and political leaders from across the country to come together learn about the innovative ideas taking root," notes Steve Tobocman, director of Global Detroit and chair of WE Global Network. "This movement is rapidly expanding, and now in our fifth year, we are excited to see how far we have come."

The Convening will be held Oct. 23-25 at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown with tours of Syracuse communities highlighting the economic and community impact of immigrants in business districts and neighborhoods. The program will feature a number of workshops on harnessing the potential of immigrant communities to grow the region and its economy through workforce, entrepreneurship, and neighborhood development.

Register and learn more about the Welcoming Economies Convening at www.weconvening.org.

About Welcoming Economies (WE) Global Network
Drawing on the lessons of the Rust Belt, the Welcoming Economies Global Network (WE Global) is a group of regional economic development initiatives working to tap into the economic development opportunities created by immigrants across a 10-state region (IL, IA, IN, MI, MN, MO, NY, OH, PA, WI). The network is designed to strengthen the work, maximize the impact, and sustain the efforts of individual local initiatives that welcome, retain, and empower immigrant communities as valued contributors to local economies. WE Global is a project of Welcoming America in partnership with Global Detroit. Learn more at www.weglobalnetwork.org.

About CenterState CEO
CenterState CEO is an independent and forward thinking economic development strategist, business leadership organization and chamber of commerce; dedicated to the success of its members and the prosperity of the region. We serve as an advocate and resource for smart business, catalyze and facilitate regional growth, and promote community prosperity through results-driven partnerships, planning and problem-solving. www.centerstateceo.com