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One good example of what CEDA's executive director means is the expansion of a small manufacturing company in southern Cayuga County. When owner David Binns knew his Aurora Shoe Co. needed more capacity to help with growing demand for its products, he checked in with the agency on State Street in downtown Auburn. This was 2014. By the time the project was completed in the spring of 2017, the company had secured assistance and guidance from at least four different organizations or agencies.

CEDA helped Binns put together a grant application with the Empire State Development Corp. that ultimately secured $50,000 expansion grant. It put him in touch with the Central New York International Business Alliance to provide some expertise on the exporting side of the business. That lead to some consultation with an international trade specialist with the U.S. Department of Commerce.

CEDA also helped Aurora Shoe tap into local support, as the company applied for and received sale and use tax breaks on construction materials and equipment purchases. That came courtesy of the Cayuga County Industrial Development Agency, which contracts with CEDA for administrative support.

The Aurora Shoe expansion reflected the collaborative and cooperative approach to job development at CEDA, a public-private entity formed a decade ago to help coordinate economic development efforts in Cayuga County. Verrier said the CEDA model emphasizes partnerships that can help businesses get information and support that a single organization could never provide.

"Collaboration, especially in recent years, has become a pronounced trend in economic development," Verrier said. "It really comes down to how can we do more with less."

As an agency serving a small, rural county, CEDA cannot afford to have dedicated specialists like an exporting expert or an energy efficiency consultant on its staff. But it can use its network of partnerships throughout central New York to help businesses access those types of resources.

"It really is critical to what we do," Verrier said. "It increases our capacity."

While CEDA might be doing much of the traffic control in economic development in Cayuga County, there are numerous agencies and organizations that get involved in the effort. CEDA operates under an umbrella organization that also supports the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce, and it works closely the Auburn chapter of SCORE, a national organization that connects seasoned business professionals with entrepreneurs looking for mentoring. CEDA's primary source of funding is the Cayuga County government's general fund, so the agency reports to the Cayuga County Legislature. It also has administrative contracts with the Cayuga IDA, the Auburn IDA and the city's planning and economic development department. There's also coordination with the state and county workforce development agencies, as well as Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES and Cayuga Community College on training needs.

CEDA also helps businesses connect with state resources. Verrier has a seat on the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council, which reviews and prioritizes projects up for state funding consideration. At the same time, CEDA helps businesses work with local governments, such as town and city planning boards, on site plan, zoning and environmental reviews.

CEDA's approach to economic development is not typical of upstate New York communities, especially in rural counties. But its track record has generated interest from other communities looking to improve their own job creation efforts. One thing outsiders have frequently noted when they learn more about how CEDA and Cayuga County operate is the level of cooperation that is on display among the many entities that get involved.

"Our county is a lot more collaborative than many other communities out there," Verrier said.