A POSITIVE FORCE FOR CHANGE
TCFD’s Economic Impact $1.77B and Growing
by John Conway
HURLEYVILLE, July 2021— The Center for Discovery has generated $1.77 billion of economic activity for New York State in the past nine years according to a recently released report by an internationally acclaimed research and analysis firm.
TEConomy Partners, whose clients include universities, governments, industry, and non-profit institutions around the world, including the Human Genome Project, the Mayo Clinic, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the North Carolina Biotech Center, and many other universities and academic medical centers, says “TCFD’s economic impact and vision continues to be a positive force for change in Sullivan County.”
And yet, the firm acknowledges in its study, “the true purpose of TCFD is not the dollars flowing within the regional economy, but it is seen in the smiles and personal growth of The Center’s residents and its employees.”
TEConomy found that in 2019 alone, The Center “directly employed 1,667 people, and had total operating expenditures of $126.1 million.”
When direct, indirect and induced jobs are factored together, the report indicated, The Center is responsible for nearly 2,200 jobs in Sullivan County and just shy of 2,400 in New York State.
And the report noted that on average The Center’s jobs pay considerably better than most other positions available in the region.
“The average compensation (wages and benefits) for TCFD employees of $53,776 is 29 percent higher than the county’s private sector average of $41,744, and an increase of 9 percent from the 2016 value,” TEConomy reported, while also pointing out that The Center expended more than $137 million in salaries and benefits in 2019, most of which went to Sullivan County residents.
“The Center’s total economic impact is even larger when the combined effect of TCFD’s operations and employment (and employee spending) on other local and regional businesses are factored in—especially since 79 per cent of TCFD employees reside in Sullivan County,” the firm reported.
The TEConomy report also exploded the myth of the tax exempt property stigma by noting that TCFD “spent $329,946 in 2019 property taxes” and annually pays a combined $13.2 million in state and local taxes.
The report singled out the improvements The Center has spearheaded in Hurleyville over the past nine years, calling the hamlet “a model of inclusion for the rest of small town America,” and highlighted the priceless national recognition the organization has brought to Sullivan County in 2020 alone.
“The Center for Discovery has garnered national recognition for its groundbreaking work and impact on the 1,200 individuals in its care – reaching a broader network of foundations, donors, partner organiza¬tions, and media platforms. In late 2020, The Center was featured on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360° for its outstanding leadership during the pandemic—the pin¬nacle being the moment when The Center’s residents and staff became among the first in long term residen¬tial care to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine,” the report notes.
“The Center for Discovery was also previously featured on Good Morning America in a segment highlighting The Center’s production of ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ And previously, The Center’s President, Dr. Terry Hamlin, spoke on The Center’s work and research into elopement, during an appearance on CBS News to mark World Autism Awareness Day.”
Looking ahead to the construction of The Center’s Children’s Specialty Hospital in Rock Hill, the report concludes that when completed, the project “will bring The Center’s construction and improvement invest¬ments to more than $190 million over the past 30 years.”