Chautauqua County Capital Resource Corporation

Bilskie will serve as CFO upon Retirement of current CFO Rich DixonJAMESTOWN, NY -- The County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) is pleased to announce the addition of Shelby Bilskie to the position of Successor Chief Financial Officer (CFO). As Successor CFO, Bilskie will work under current CFO Richard Dixon until his retirement in mid 2025. At that time, she will then become the CCIDA’s new CFO. The CCIDA CFO position is responsible for the financial and operations management of the CCIDA, along with the Chautauqua Region Economic Development Corporation (CREDC) and Chautauqua County Capitol Resource Corporation (CRC). Bilskie has more than a decade of experience in financial accounting, budgeting, forecasting, and reporting, most recently as the Senior Director of Financial Planning & Analysis – Corporate Officer (Treasurer) for Erie Management Group, LLC / Hero Biodiesel, LLC, a position she’s held since 2018. She’s also held the position of Senior Financial Analyst for Bluestem Brands (formerly Orchard Brands) from 2011 to 2018. Other past positions include manager of Warren County Speedway and teller at PNC Bank. “We’re excited to have Shelby join or team as she prepares to become the agency’s next CFO in 2025,” said Mark Geise, CCIDA CEO. “She has an extensive educational background and work history in financial oversight, and we’re confident she’ll be a valuable member of our team moving forward. We’re also very appreciative of our current CFO, Rich Dixon, for staying on board over the next eight months to assist Shelby as she transitions into the CFO position.” “We had several quality candidates apply for the CFO position, but at the end of the process Shelby stood out as the top choice, due to her skillset in financial oversight and her past work experience,” said Gary Henry, CCIDA, CCPEG, and CRC board chairman who was involved in the selection process. “We look forward to working with her and are also thankful for the immeasurable amount of work and effort that Rich Dixon has provided for our agencies the past two decades.” Bilskie is a 2010 graduate of Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania, where she majored in mathematics with a special interest area and minor in statistics. She currently resides in Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania with her family.  About CCIDA - The CCIDA is an economic development organization authorized and empowered by the State of New York to make Chautauqua County a better place to work, live, and visit. They facilitate development by attracting new businesses, while promoting the retention and expansion of existing businesses. Assistance in the form of incentives – tax abatements, low interest loans, and bond financing – enhances the opportunities for job creation and retention by our businesses.  For more information visit ChooseCHQ.com.

New Website and Advertising Effort to Focus on Talent Attraction and Retention in Chautauqua CountyJAMESTOWN, NY: -- The Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth (CCPEG), along with the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA), is announcing the launch of a new, multi-year marketing campaign. The effort, called Live CHQ, will focus on talent attraction and retention by highlighting quality of life aspects and career opportunities available in Chautauqua County.  “Live CHQ is primarily intended to market our county to people living outside of our county in order to attract new and professionally talented residents by focusing on the best our county has to offer – including affordability, job opportunities, our cultural and entertainment attractions, and a wide variety of outdoor recreation options,” said Mark Geise, Deputy County Executive for Economic Development and CCIDA CEO. “As part of the talent retention effort, we will also remind current residents of the benefits of living in Chautauqua County.” WATCH THE APRIL 16 PRESENTATION The campaign is modeled after a similar talent attraction and retention marketing effort in Buffalo, known as the Be in Buffalo campaign. That effort was spearheaded by Invest Buffalo Niagara, which also provided assistance with initial planning of the Live CHQ campaign. A major component of Live CHQ is a new website – LiveCHQ.org - that will inform the public about the various quality of life aspects the county has to offer, along with employment resources and business development opportunities found across the county. The campaign is also intended to assist local companies, businesses, and nonprofits across all sectors by helping to inform their prospective employees about what the county has to offer. “Many of our local businesses and nonprofits need more skilled, talented, and experienced employees to fill vacant jobs. But it can also be challenging to recruit individuals to fill those positions, due to a high demand for skilled workers, compared to the number of candidates currently living in our county. We are encouraging the business community to use the website to assist with their recruitment efforts, especially for talent located outside of the area who may be unfamiliar with what Chautauqua County has to offer,” explained Nate Aldrich, Chautauqua County Economic Development Coordinator and CCPEG Manager. CCIDA and CCPEG contracted with Buffalo-based Block Club to develop the Live CHQ campaign following an RFP process in late 2022. Throughout 2023, Block Club then worked to develop Live CHQ by visiting the county and meeting with key stakeholders during the “discover phase” of the campaign, to determine its focus – young families, active adults, and professionals with a passion for outdoor recreation and cultural/community experiences who currently reside outside of Chautauqua County. Current county residents are a secondary target audience. Block Club also designed a “choose your adventure” theme, incorporating “CHQ” into the messaging of each ad. The company also designed specific digital ad assets for the campaign, along with a promotional video advertisement. The website was designed by Clevermethod, also based in Buffalo. In addition to designing LiveCHQ.org, Clevermethod also developed ChooseCHQ.com, the new website for CCIDA and CCPEG, along with the other affiliation agencies – the Chautauqua Region Economic Development Corporation (CREDC) and the Chautauqua County Capital Resource Corporation (CRC). Funding for the Live CHQ campaign was derived from American Rescue Plan Act funding provided to CCPEG by Chautauqua County, a multi-year grant from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, and from the CCIDA’s general marketing budget. Assistance in developing the campaign was also provided by Chautauqua County Government and the Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau, along with a variety of organizations and attractions found across Chautauqua County. “We want to emphasize that this is not a panacea that will suddenly reverse decades of population decline experienced in our county and across the Western New York region. Our hope is that it will be a valuable tool that, when combined with other efforts, will help to move the population needle in a positive direction,” explained Geise. “The launch of Live CHQ is the culmination of a year’s worth of planning and development, and we’re excited to see it rolled out and implemented.” Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel said he is encouraged on what this new rollout program can and will do. “‘Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.' That’s my new motto as we move forward,” Wendel said, quoting Colin Powell. More information about the Live CHQ marketing campaign will be announced in the coming weeks. # # # About Live CHQ – Live CHQ is a joint marketing campaign launched by the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency and the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth in 2024 to assist with talent attraction and retention efforts across Chautauqua County, NY. The overall goal of the campaign is to help raise awareness of Chautauqua County as a viable place for individuals and families to live by speaking to the sensibilities, desires, and expectations of people who are considering the county as their primary residence. For more information visit www.LiveCHQ.com.