It is the major industrial center of Cattaraugus County with over 40 manufacturing firms. Interstate 86 and NYS Route 16 provide immediate access to Olean, and the city has rail and air service, and high speed Internet access. In summary, Olean increasingly serves regional markets. Although we have experienced some decline countywide in the industrial sector since the 1970s, we have also gained with successful expansions such as DresserRand and Alcas Corporation in Olean. All levels of local, county and state agencies support business retention and expansion, and as a result, we are seeing a continuation of metal working and fabrication, as well as growth in ceramics, wood products, electrical and electronic component manufacturing, and epoxy resin production.
Small business is another key to our economic expansion, just as it is in the national economy.
It is probably even more critical in a rural economy due to the dispersion of the population and the unique business needs across this large county. To help small business, our department has aggressively pursued funding for a Micro-Enterprise loan fund to help expand existing operations and to develop new enterprises. Despite the decline in the number of farms in our county, the number of dairy cows and amount of milk production has remained steady. It would be a mistake to underestimate the large role that agriculture still plays in our local economy. Our Department of Economic Development, Planning and Tourism is active in all of these economic sectors.