Vincent Cozzolino, managing partner of Galileo Technology Group and managing director of the Orange County Industrial Development Agency and The Accelerator, addresses the crowd of more than 75 business people at the Mid-Hudson Valley Manufacturing Technology Conference on Dec. 2.

NEW WINDSOR, Dec. 8, 2016 – More than 75 business people gathered for the Mid-Hudson Valley Manufacturing Technology Conference, hosted by The Accelerator, at SUNY Orange’s Kaplan Hall on Dec. 2. The event’s keynote speaker, Robert Amler, MD, MBA – co-founder of BioInc@NYMC; vice president of government affairs, dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice and Institute of Public Health and professor of Public Health, Pediatrics and Environmental Health Science at New York Medical College – spoke to attendees on the topic of technological innovation in health care.

“We have a real opportunity for saving people’s lives, millions of people at a time,” said Amler. “Innovation leads to better health and better health leads to economic benefits.”

Amler spoke of past medical innovations such as the Inactivated and Oral Polio Vaccines, as well as more current ones such as pharmacogenomics, wearables and 3D printing.

Following the keynote presentation, Ceres Technologies of Saugerties, Pratt & Whitney Advanced Coating Technologies of Middletown and Spectral Systems of Hopewell Junction were presented with The Accelerator Award with gratitude for the companies’ contributions to the advanced manufacturing technology industry and the Mid-Hudson Valley community.

Following the awards, discussion among a panel of industry leaders was moderated by Bill Fioravanti, director of business attraction for the Orange County Partnership. Kevin Brady of Ceres Technologies, Jerry Cammarata, PhD of Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, Vincent Cozzolino of Galileo Technology Group – as well as managing director of the Orange County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) and The Accelerator – and Mark Long of Zumtobel Lighting (Highland) made up the panel.

Topics discussed included collaborations within the field such as working closely with educational institutions, in cooperation with competitors and reshoring the industry.

“I’m a big fan of these conferences, they do a great job of contouring these industries that are really burgeoning in our region,” said Fioravanti.

“At The Accelerator, our goal is to help our local manufacturers grow,” said Cozzolino. “The medical http://premier-pharmacy.com/ equipment and supplies manufacturing sector is emerging in our area and we have a particular interest in growing this cluster.”

Dr. Cammarata praised those in attendance for contributing to the innovations in technology that have allowed for better education and, in turn, more advanced doctors. He also urged everyone in the room to open their doors to more high school students.

“We can build custom products here at a comparable cost to anywhere in the world,” said Brady. “It’s a hard message to get across.” He says Ceres Technologies, designer and manufacturer of process equipment for semiconductor and photovoltaic equipment suppliers, has been pressured to become a globally-sourced company for years.

Suzanne Holt, director of the Ulster County Office of Economic Development; Harry Porr, Orange County director of operations, and Ron Hicks, assistant Dutchess County executive attended the event.

Edward A. Diana, board member of the Orange County IDA and Laurie Villasuso, COO and executive vice president of the IDA were also present at the event.

The event was sponsored by TSEC and the Orange County IDA.

The Accelerator, powered by the Orange County IDA, is a New York State Certified Business Incubator focused on bringing manufacturing back to the Mid-Hudson Valley. Powered by the Orange County Industrial Development Agency, The Accelerator provides businesses with below-market occupancy costs, workforce training, mentoring programs, easy access to experienced professionals and a high-tech plug-and-play environment with SMARTT Pods and a host of other resources.