Washington, D.C. – On news that
Internet giant Yahoo! is coming to Lockport Industrial Park and creating 125
jobs for the region, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand issued the following
statement:
“This is great news for Western New York. Yahoo! will create new, good-paying
jobs right here in Lockport. Clearly Yahoo! recognized that upstate New York is
the ideal place to open a business because of the well-trained work force,
affordable housing, short commutes, and first class arts, sports, and cultural
institutions. I look forward to working with Yahoo as they move forward.”
Below is Senator Gillibrand’s letter to Yahoo! CEO Carol Bartz encouraging the
move to Western New York.
June
4, 2009
Ms.
Carol Bartz
CEO
Yahoo!
Inc.
701
First Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94089
Dear
Ms. Bartz:
I
write in strong support of Yahoo’s consideration of the Western New York Region
and the Finger Lakes Region for your Northeast data center. It is has
come to my attention that several sites in Niagara, Orleans and Genesee
Counties are under consideration.
I
urge you to consider all that the Western New York region can offer your
company. As I am sure you have seen, Western New York offers many
incentives. The region is home to a strong and talented workforce, famous
attractions, a temperate climate, inexpensive development costs and many
additional economic incentives such as low cost power which I am eager to work
with you on.
One
thing Western New York excels in, because of our fantastic universities and
schools, is creating an industry in high tech and bio-tech. Western New
York is home to 15 four-year colleges and universities and 20 two-year schools,
annually graduating more than 20,000. Western New York is affordable; with median regional
housing prices slightly below $100,000, average household income
of $53,000, and health insurance costs 25 percent below the national average,
our workforce is affordable. Western
New York is formidable; our workforce is 750,000 strong, with
the skills and education for 21st century jobs – and an old-fashioned work
ethic: our absenteeism and turnover rates are among the lowest in the
country.
The region also has a lower than average
employee turnover rate. As a bi-national region with quick and easy access to
Canada, Western NY facilitates 81 billion in annual trade between Canada and
the United States.
I
am committed to working with you to relocate to Western New York because we
have a terrific workforce, ready to go. The Northeast data center has so
much potential and will help contribute to the economic revival of this
region. I look forward to working with you directly on this exciting
project.
Please
do not hesitate to contact myself or my office if I can be of any assistance.
Sincerely,
Kirsten E. Gillibrand
United States Senator