Schumer said that these meetings are the beginning of an ongoing, long term plan to work closely with area leaders to attract jobs. For example, Syracuse University is one of the top schools in the country and Syracuse is one of the most Internet connected cities in the country. And airfares, which are among the highest in the nation here, are soon going to come down with the launching of JetBlue Airways and its commitment to Syracuse. JetBlue will take one of the region's major negatives and turn it into a positive. But there are still problems.
Property taxes are very high and energy costs are among the worst in the nation.
Schumer said a top priority would be to secure a federal grant to create an Indoor Environmental Quality Research Center in Syracuse. Schumer said Syracuse is the best qualified of any location because the leading companies in air filtration systems are located there. Schumer has already met with site consultants and business analysts at top Fortune 500 firms to discuss Upstate's strengths and weaknesses. But one thing is clear. There has been very little coordinated effort to pitch regions of New York to those in the business world who select sites for companies to locate and expand.