Staten Island Economic Development Corporation’s Executive Director Talks trams, a world expo, and quality of life issues
by Jessica Jones-Gorman • Photos By Amessé Photography
When Cesar Claro stepped into the executive director position at the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation in 1994, the then-fledgling organization had virtually no staff, ran only one program, and maintained a meager budget of about $50,000. The SIEDC and the borough it served were still growing and changing. But after two decades of promoting public and private investment and encouraging responsible and sustainable development—all of which improve the quality of life and provide broad and diverse employment opportunities in the borough—the presence and role of the fast-developing nonprofit have increased.
“Today, we have a staff of 15 full timers and consultants, we offer close to 30 programs, projects, and events, have over 200 members, and our budget is approaching $2 million annually,” Claro said recently of the group’s success. “I am not aware of any not-for-profit with that type of growth on Staten Island, especially considering where we started.”
SIEDC has been responsible for over $550 million in new investment, the creation of more than 3,500 jobs, and the development of better than 1,000 acres of vacant industrial land by providing assistance to developers and companies implementing projects in the borough—while at the same time serving the smallest entrepreneur and business owner with tailored financing, procurement, and real estate assistance.
The group administers a wide range of free services to local businesses, such as financing assistance, job training, and technology advice, and maintains a projects division staffed by three urban planners who work diligently to bring new programs and projects to the Island, such as the West Shore Light Rail and the Staten Island Green Zone. It also offers community events, such as the Staten Island Health & Wellness Expo and the Staten Island Economic Conference— free and open to the public.
“There are many things I am proud of at SIEDC,” he noted. “The Annual Economic Development Conference has grown to be the event on Staten Island. All of our recent success with our Neighborhood Development Program and BIDs [Business Improvement Districts] have also given me great pleasure, but the growth and expansion of the SIEDC itself remains what I am most proud of.”
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Claro graduated from St. John’s University with a degree in communication arts, and never intended to go into the field of economic development.
“When I graduated from college, there were not many job openings in the communications field. Cable TV was just beginning to launch,” he recalled. “I worked full time during college at a reinsurance company in lower Manhattan, so when I graduated, there was a job waiting for me.”
His first stint in economic development came a few years later at the South Brooklyn Local Development Corporation.
“I worked out of a storefront on Van Brunt Street in Red Hook,” he said. “My boss, Bette Stoltz, was a wonderful woman and mentor, who showed methe ropes. I also was greatly influenced by local developer Greg O’Connell, who owned one third of the property in Red Hook at the time. I recently went back and was proud of what has happened in recent years. It has become a thriving, vibrant neighborhood.”
After two years in Red Hook, he was offered the executive director position at Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation, which was based in Sunset Park. He helped launch an Empire Zone and a variety of other programs and services while there, working closely with a young staffer at a local councilwoman’s office. His name was Bill de Blasio.
While working in Sunset Park, Claro moved to Staten Island. Shortly thereafter, he was offered the executive director position at SIEDC. Four years into his role, he was tapped to run the Richmond County Savings Foundation.
“By 1998, then SIEDC Chairman Mike Manzulli had created and launched the Richmond County Savings Foundation [RCSF] and he offered me a part-time position running the Foundation,” Claro said. “At the time, we were a $19 million entity. Today, we are close to $90 million, and have given away over $50 million in grants. Most of the credit goes to Mike and the team at the bank, who have grown the company by leaps and bounds, providing the Foundation with significant funding to give out to groups. At RCSF, our public art initiatives, our Farm to City Exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York, and our major grants to local health and educational institutions are achievements I’m very proud of.”
Claro continues to support and spearhead projects that promote growth and better quality of life for Staten Island residents.
“The Gondola Initiative [also known as Tram] is an exciting and I believe viable transportation option because it can be built, operated, and maintained exclusively with private financing,” Claro said, describing a proposed $175 million aerial tramway which would carry riders to Manhattan across New York Harbor.
“We will never have a subway system on Staten Island, you can’t create new roads, and fast ferries have their limitations. Our only option is to go up,” he explained. “There’s a lot of room in the sky to move people and we are three years behind pace compared to Brooklyn and Manhattan. There are already existing and viable gondola initiatives in the planning stages for those boroughs as well as Governor’s Island.”
Claro is also a supporter of Staten Island hosting the 2025 World Expo, a global World’s Fair which the SIEDC hopes the city will site at the former Fresh Kills Landfill.
“The Expo has so much potential, but it has been tough for us to gain traction with it,” he admitted. “Those of us who work in and around government know that the city can never live up to the obligation of turning Fresh Kills into a significant development/recreational facility. They just won’t put the money in…unless they are forced to. That is the driving force behind the World Expo idea. If you secure a World Expo designation, you must invest local money in the site. Eventually big time private money follows, and when the Expo is over, you have a fresh, modern facility to develop.”
Those projects are but two of the exciting plans for the borough.
“The Theme of our 2016 Economic Conference will be ‘Beyond St. George,’ because there are so many other economic development initiatives taking place around the borough that most people are not aware of,” Claro said. “It all started with The Wheel, [Empire] Outlets, and Lighthouse Pointe. Those three projects launched the new Staten Island economy. Everything that has happened since has been partially driven by those three projects and the investment those developers are making. They essentially said ‘It’s okay to invest big in Staten Island,’ and now others have followed.”
Staten Island Economic Development Corporation
900 South Avenue, Suite 402 / 718.477.1400 / siedc.org