Funding Provides For Expansion at Calverton Enterprise ParkSenator Kenneth P. LaValle has secured $3.5 million through the New York State Economic Development Program for the construction of an Agricultural Consumer Science Center at the Stony Brook Incubator at Calverton Enterprise Park. The Center will help enhance the local agriculture industry by supporting the research and development of "value added" specialty products that will improve the industry’s economic viability.
"This is really the exclamation point to the reason why we located the incubator at Calverton," said Senator LaValle. "The East End of Long Island is largely dependent on its agricultural output. This facility will provide a cost-effective way for our local farmers and wine producers to develop new, marketable, consumer items and enhance their product lines."
According to Senator LaValle, the creation of an Agricultural Consumer Science Center will give regional wine and food producers, as well as local entrepreneurs, the opportunity to develop new products in a state-of-the-art facility without the cost-prohibitive overhead. The Center will include a shared processing area for developing new product lines and a business development area that will provide access to researchers, scientists, and professionals at Stony Brook University, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the Small Business Development Center.
"This is a worthwhile investment that will boost our local economy and create new jobs," said Senator LaValle. "We have the talent and the resources needed to succeed in developing new product lines that will sustain Long Island’s agricultural viability and increase our ability to remain competitive in the global marketplace."
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