Black Squirrel Farms, located in the heart of the Finger Lakes, grows, collects and processes black walnuts at the only 20-C licensed facility processing black walnuts in New York State. We create premium black walnut products from a currently wasted agricultural resource to meet a growing demand for local nuts. Our community-based sourcing model turns overlooked trees into valuable assets and keeps trees standing.

The Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture at Cornell AgriTech works to grow the food and agriculture economy in New York by connecting businesses and entrepreneurs with the services and resources they need to succeed. Since forming in 2018, we’ve worked with over 1,100 businesses – from startups to multinational companies – to create and retain over 1,500 jobs and generate nearly $200 million in economic impact for New York.

The Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency (HCIDA) is the lead economic development organization for Herkimer County, NY. It drives regional growth by facilitating corporate financing, offering tax incentives (such as PILOT programs), managing grant programs, and helping businesses expand or relocate to the area.

Love & Cupcakes Studio is an experiential bakery devoted to bringing people back to the table to celebrate, connect, and create together—intentionally and in person. We offer highly artistic custom desserts for every occasion, hands-on workshops for all ages, corporate connection experiences, and thoughtfully crafted care packages for loved ones afar. Rooted in family tradition and continually evolving, L&C Studio is where artistry meets heart and where every cookie tells a story.

KeyBank supports manufacturers and middle‑market businesses with practical banking, payments, and treasury solutions designed to improve cash flow, visibility, and control. We work with finance and operations teams to streamline receivables and payables, protect against fraud, and optimize liquidity through services such as commercial depository solutions, ACH and wire payments, integrated payables, and reporting tools. Our focus is helping businesses operate more efficiently while supporting growth, investment, and workforce expansion across New York State

We harvest and bottle fresh Maple Sap for drinking purposes on our 25 acre farm in the Hudson Valley. We offer four flavors either fresh or shelf stable. Through the use of cold storage we’re able to offer fresh Sap year round. We’re New York Grown and Certified.

Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR) advances technology-driven economic growth and commercialization across New York State. Through a network of more than 70 funded assets, including Centers for Advanced Technology (CAT) and Centers of Excellence (COE), NYSTAR provides critical resources, expert support, and funding to assist companies from start-up through maturity.

NYS Farm Brewery located in scenic Schoharie County. We produce 11 beers using NY grown ingredients and serve NY alcoholic beverages.

Advanced Institute for Manufacturing (AIM) is a designated NYSTAR and NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Center that supports small and medium-sized manufacturers throughout the Mohawk Valley Region. AIM provides training and technology development services in cybersecurity, technical training, process improvement, quality management, access to strategic resources, and supervisory management. Through these services, AIM helps manufacturers operate more efficiently, increase profitability, develop new products, create and retain jobs, and reduce costs.

Our mission is to drive job creation and jumpstart the community revitalization across the valley. We guide state-backed programs down to the local level, includes Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) and NY Forward. Our office is located in Utica and serves six counties that include Oneida, Herkimer, Fulton, Montgomery, Otsego and Schoharie county.