The Building & Realty Institute Joins HVEDC Board
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (March 1, 2021) – Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation has announced that The Building & Realty Institute of Westchester & the Mid-Hudson Region has joined their board of directors and will be represented by Tim Foley, CEO.
“On behalf of the members of the BRI, we are thrilled to be partners and collaborators with HVEDC. Safe, sustainable, quality, and affordable workforce housing is a bare necessity for those looking to live and work in the Hudson Valley and table stakes for any plan for economic growth. Working together with innovation and a fresh perspective, we know we can navigate through the inadvertent barriers that have held us back and support a brighter economic future for the whole region,” said Tim Foley, CEO of BRI.
The Building & Realty Institute (BRI) is a trade association in Westchester County and the Lower Hudson Valley. BRI brings together business owners across all sectors of the industry to advocate for the best interests of the realty industry to government and to the community, to provide knowledge and resources, and to create opportunities to build relationships among its members and to improve their businesses. BRI has a particular focus on affordable housing – both building new units of housing where it’s needed and preserving the safety, quality, and availability of existing multi-family homes. BRI maintains an active conversation with local officials and allies to affirm principles of property rights, fair and due process, equal opportunity, sensible regulation, affordable housing, and the free and fair pursuit of a better living and working environment for all.
“Affordable housing is an essential need for attracting and retaining a skilled workforce. BRI has done a great job in helping the community and its members in providing opportunities to promote economic development in the region. We look forward to working with Tim and his membership to foster growth in the Hudson Valley,” said Mike Oates, President of HVEDC.
Tim Foley is only the third executive officer and first CEO in BRI’s 75-year history. In that capacity, he also serves on the Land Development Committee for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Prior to joining BRI, he served as the Communications Director for NYS Assemblymember Amy Paulin, who represents the 88th Assembly District (Eastchester / New Rochelle / Pelham / Scarsdale / White Plains).
In addition to serving as the Assemblymember’s general liaison with the press and media, he was an important aide for many of her special projects and initiatives focused on Westchester County, including: coordinating the work of 33 local governments and school districts in Westchester, Suffolk, and Nassau Counties to challenge the IRS regulations disallowing the use of charitable funds to offer relief for taxpayers straining with the new cap on the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction at the federal level; supporting local community efforts to respond to both the problematic response by Con Edison to the March 2018 nor’easters; advocating for adequate funding for the Metro-North Railroad in the next MTA capital plan; and spreading public information on options to adapt to Con Edison’s moratorium on new natural gas services. He also spent more than a decade in various positions in the labor movement for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in seven states and the District of Columbia.
ABOUT HVEDC
HVEDC is the leading economic development agency for the seven-county region of Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, Orange, Ulster and Sullivan counties. The public-private partnership markets the region as a prime business location to corporate executives, site selection consultants and real estate brokers. HVEDC helped start the organizational, branding and promotional effort for NY BioHud Valley, Hudson Valley 3D Printing and the Hudson Valley Food & Beverage Alliance. To learn more, call 845-220-2244 or visit hvedc.com.
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