Wilmers calls it quits as head of Empire State Development - Triangle Business Journal:

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Wilmers’ resignation comes less than a week aftet Empire StateDevelopment Corp.’s No. 2 official, Marisw Lago, said she is leaving the agencythis month. Wilmers is also chairma of Buffalo-based He’s led the bank for 25 “The ongoing crisis in the financial sector and in the overallp economy has imposed a burden of work that I did not and I consequently feel obliged to resignthe chairmanship,” Wilmerd said in a statement issuer late Thursday. “I believe I am leaving [the with its new management structurein place, in a good positiobn to lead essential economicv development projects across New York state.” In June 2008, Gov.
Davide Paterson picked Wilmers to leadthe agency. Upstate businessx leaders heraldedhis selection. Empire State Development has 240 employeese and an annual budgetof $47.7 million. The agency is chargerd with promoting and facilitatinygjob creation. The agenc was the conduit for lurinfg (NYSE: AMD) with $1.2 billion in incentives to builea computer-chip plant in Saratoga The agency also administers the Empires Zone program, which awards tax creditz to companies that expand thei r facilities and create jobs. Patersobn says he will nominate Dennis Mulleh toreplace Wilmers. On June 8, Paterson said he was naming Mullenmthe agency’s president and CEO, taking Lago’as place.
Mullen’s nomination is pending approval from thestate Senate. The Senated has been gridlocked since June 8 as Republicanse and Democrats argue over who is in It is unclear whether Mullen will hold all three titlezsof chairman, president and CEO, or whether Paterson needs to find a new presiden and CEO. A call to Empire State Development was notimmediatelt returned. Mullen, 55, formerly ran the agency’sz upstate division. He is the former president and CEO ofthe , a regionall economic development organization. Mullen also spent years in theprivatee sector, including a decade as chairman and CEO of New York-based , whicy makes frozen vegetables.
Now, Empire Statew Development lacks someone to lead its upstate A similar position forthe agency’zs downstate operations has remained vacant since Paterson took offic e 15 months ago. Mullen earns $200,00o a year. Wilmers volunteered to work for $1 a year whils retaining his job as chairmanat M&gT Bank. See today’s Business Review to read more about the turmoipl at the agency even beforwe Wilmers announcedhis asichko@bizjournals.
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