Marissa Brett to Head Up Economic Development at the Westchester County Association

June 9, 2011 - PRLog -- (White Plains, New York)…….. Bill Mooney, President of the Westchester County Association (WCA) announced today that Marissa Brett, Vice President of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation (HVEDC), will join the WCA on July 5, 2011 as Executive Director of Economic Development. Her specific role will be to implement The Blueprint for Westchester, a multi-million dollar, multi-year initiative to revitalize Westchester’s economy.

Citing her fine record of attracting investment and new jobs to the Hudson Valley over the past six years at the HVEDC, a regional economic development organization that represents seven counties north of New York City, Mooney said she was the logical choice for the job.

“Marissa is uniquely qualified to work with us in implementing The Blueprint for Westchester,” he said. “During the past six years, she evaluated economic development efforts throughout the country as a guide in determining the right course of action for the Hudson Valley. Her knowledge and breadth of experience will be invaluable to the Blueprint and the entire WCA team.”

As part of her duties at the WCA, Brett will craft and execute a strategy to market the county’s available real estate for economic growth, building on her many existing relationships in the real estate and site selection communities. “We want to ensure that Westchester is top of mind when businesses consider relocating or expanding,” she said.

Brett has more than a dozen years of experience in economic development and commercial real estate marketing.  During her time at HVEDC, she developed and implemented all real estate marketing programs and launched a region-wide transaction database of all lease and sales transactions, which resulted in a quarterly report, “Hudson Valley Real Estate Transaction Tracker”. The result was that more than seven million square feet of commercial space  were occupied and almost six thousand jobs were created. Prior to joining HVEDC in 2005, she marketed a commercial real estate portfolio of 1.4 million square feet in White Plains for Albert B. Ashforth, Inc.

Brett holds a bachelor’s degree from Fordham University.  She also obtained her masters of corporate real estate from CoreNet Global, the leading global corporate real estate network. She serves on the Board of Directors for the United Way of Westchester and Putnam and also on the Putnam County Industrial Development Agency.  Brett lives in Carmel, New York with her two sons.  

The Westchester County Association (www.westchester.org) is the preeminent business membership organization in Westchester County.  The Association is committed to business advocacy, economic vitality and to providing a strong and clear voice for the interests of businesses on the regional, national and international levels.  Its key objectives are:  promoting positive economic development in the region; fostering business development; and providing its members with access and interaction with key public and private sector individuals, agencies and organizations.