Mali RPCV Lance Matteson to head Ulster County Development Corporation



From among 92 candidates, Matteson was the unanimous pick of the UCDC selection committee and the organization's board, according to UCDC board Chairman Robert Ryan. His references all checked out, Ryan said — smart, articulate, action-oriented, a catalyst for change, outstanding emotional intelligence. "He is a good match "¦ at a crucial time in our economic future," Ryan said. "We want to push economic development."

Mali RPCV Lance Matteson to head Ulster County Development Corporation

Harvard lawyer, ex-Peace Corps volunteer to head Ulster development

By Paul Brooks

Times Herald-Record

March 27, 2007

Caption: Lance Matteson speaks at a news conference where he was introduced as the new president and CEO the Ulster County Development Corporation on March 26, 2007, at the Ulster County Office Building in Kingston. The news conference was held in the legislative chambers. Photo: Times Herald-Record/Tom Bushey

Kingston — A Harvard lawyer and ex-Peace Corps volunteer is leaving his economic development job in Bennington, Vt., to pilot Ulster County's economy.

"I am very serious about the job and very serious about making an impact on this county," Lance Matteson said yesterday.

As the new president and CEO of the Ulster County Development Corp., Matteson will run the point agency on economic development in the county.

Matteson will be paid a base salary of $105,000. But, he can make more if he hits marks tied to the county's new economic development plan, "Ulster Tomorrow." He has no contract, officials said yesterday.

From among 92 candidates, Matteson was the unanimous pick of the UCDC selection committee and the organization's board, according to UCDC board Chairman Robert Ryan.

His references all checked out, Ryan said — smart, articulate, action-oriented, a catalyst for change, outstanding emotional intelligence.

"He is a good match "¦ at a crucial time in our economic future," Ryan said. "We want to push economic development."

The county has struggled in recent years. IBM and its lustrous jobs left in the 1990s. IBM's old Town of Ulster site, Tech City, remains half empty. Hundreds of other jobs — Imperial Schrade and Hydro Aluminum, for example — have evaporated more recently. The business and environmental communities have clashed over development.

Matteson said he comes from a rural Vermont county with a strong streak of independence and a concern for the environment.

"If you can't do environmentally friendly development in Vermont, then you pretty much don't do development," Matteson said.

The new economic guru would not predict how many jobs he will bring in over his first year. "I don't know, but I will hit the ground running and make every effort I can to keep and grow jobs."

He fought those battles in Vermont. Longtime employer Stanley Tools closed after being in the community since 1817. A new employer has replaced all 160 jobs lost to the Stanley closure, Matteson said.

At present, the county bankrolls UCDC to the tune of $200,000, less than in past years. Ryan said if the "Ulster Tomorrow" development plan works, UCDC will ask for more funding.

March Gallagher, chairwoman of the county's Industrial Development Agency, supported that. "You can't build something with nothing," she said.

Matteson's credentials are very, very impressive, said Glenn Noonan, the Republican Minority Party leader in the Legislature. "But he has got a tough nut to handle with Ulster County."

New UCDC chief

Name: Lance Matteson

Age: 55

Family: married, three children

New title: president, CEO of Ulster County

Development Corp.

Salary: Base of $105,000 with incentives

Starts: April 16

Residence: Pownal, Vt., relocating to Ulster County

Education: Harvard law, graduated magna cum laude

Most recent experience: president, Bennington

Microtechnology Center

Other experience: Executive director, Bennington County Industrial Corp.; Middle East representative for American Near East Refugee Aid, served as Peace Corps volunteer in Mali.

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: March, 2007; Peace Corps Mali; Directory of Mali RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Mali RPCVs; New York

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