Craig Clark named new executive director of Allegany County IDA

Allegany County is pleased to announce that Craig Clark, PE, Ph.D., vice president for Economic Development at Alfred State and economic developer for Allegany County, will be the executive director of the Allegany County Industrial Development Agency (ACIDA). Due to the recent resignation of Jack Wood as chairman and CEO of ACIDA, Dr. Clark will now lead all county economic development projects, supervising efforts, and coordinating groups to fulfill Wood’s vision of one goal and one voice for Allegany County.

Allegany County legislators thank Jack Wood for his passionate leadership for economic development and for being chairman and CEO of the ACIDA for the past few years.  Through Wood’s leadership of the ACIDA, the county is moving forward with the Friendship–Belvidere Waterline Project for the anticipated Crossroads site development.  The county is also communicating with developers for a new hotel and associated businesses to be built at the Crossroads site. These two projects are at the core of the visible economic development in the county that Wood has championed. His colleagues believe the county is well positioned to take economic development to the next level because of the many projects that Jack has undertaken during his tenure working with the county.

"Jack put the needed fire under several development projects for Allegany County and engaged high- caliber individuals from government, business, and education to help fan the flame. We look forward to taking these projects to the next level working with Craig Clark, the Allegany County Economic Development Team, and the ACIDA," said Curt Crandall, chairman of the Allegany County Board of Legislators.

“Jack has invested his time, energy, and skills to create an economic development blueprint for us to follow for many years to come,” stated Dr. Skip Sullivan, president of Alfred State. “I want to personally thank Jack for his untiring dedication as the citizens have been so well served with his devotion to improving our county.   Alfred State remains committed to continue assisting and facilitating economic development in our communities.”

Wood’s creation of a county-wide Steering Committee for Economic Development based on bringing together the Allegany County Legislature, business, and college leaders has been a major achievement. On April 25, the Allegany County Board of Legislators voted to approve a new economic development mission and vision document that is supported by the County’s Planning and Economic Development Committee, Economic Development staff, and the Economic Development Steering Committee that was formed to guide this process. The vision statement is intended to be a source for inspiration and motivation for the future: “To be a sound economic competitor that consistently attracts, retains, and expands local businesses and industries through ongoing local, state, national, and foreign direct investments in Allegany County.”

Allegany County’s participation in the SELECT USA Summit, the highest-profile event that promotes foreign direct investment (FDI) in the United States, was a goal of Wood’s that came to fruition with participation in both 2015 and 2016. The summit provides an unparalleled opportunity to bring together companies from all over the world, economic development organizations from every corner of the nation, others working to facilitate investment in the United States, and high-level government officials.