Empowering Small Businesses

Livingston County Economic Development supports our main streets, towns, and villages by providing tools, resources, and capital funding to foster business growth and to help business owners stay competitive. Our downtown districts are often seen as the “Front Porches” of our communities. They are one of the aspects that make living in Livingston County unique. These downtown areas are where the community gathers for holidays, festivals, and parades. Where neighbors meet. Where visitors can have a bite to eat and learn about local history. Our downtowns are filled with historic architecture, and commercial buildings are clustered together to create walkable, pedestrian-friendly districts.

Livingston County fosters collaborative business environments to improve the quality of life for all of its residents. Here are some of the latest numbers.

Steps to Get Started: Tools to Help Launch Your Business

Whether you’re just thinking about starting a business or have been “in the business” for several years, a little training and a refresher on business topics never hurts. Livingston County Economic Development and our partners offer networking sessions, workshops, and training throughout Livingston County on topics including social media marketing, increasing your retail sales, and best practices in signage and storefront appearance. Also, there are many free and low-cost resources available online including the National Small Business Week Virtual Summit. Held each year, the summit is free with a basic email registration and is geared to small business owners.

Choosing a Location

Let us find you a Livingston County location that meets your specific business needs.

Access to Capital: Finance + Incentives Programs

Livingston County Economic Development aggressively pursues both state and local incentives to make the cost of relocating and operating your business competitive. Our staff will work with you to package the most beneficial assistance available in order to catalyze capital investment and foster job retention and creation. In-house, we can offer access to tax exemptions, revolving loan funds, and tax-exempt bonds. We manage an inventory of all available LivCo sites and buildings including county-owned industrial and business parks. Additionally, we can coordinate regional utility incentives, foreign trade zone benefits, and NYS consolidated funding applications to access state programs and grant funding.

We are here to help you explore the options that are best for your company.

Planning Resources + Tools

Economic development is more than just circulating money. Our fellow business support organizations serve as essential links in our framework: they are critical supports in our economic scaffolding and help create a vibrant community. Our municipal partners, community partners, and professional service organizations understand the mission and how to access services. Although we work with a variety of organizations, some of our most frequent collaborations to help you succeed include the following organizations.

Training + Education

Training and education drive economic development. They also foster innovation, increase productivity, and foster resilience against economic downturns. Stay tuned for our next training!

Buy a Business

Are you thinking about starting a business, but would prefer to step into one that’s already part of our community? Our office often serves as a bridge between local business owners: whether someone is ready to retire, scale back, or simply pass their work on to the next generation of leaders. We help make those connections happen.

We do more than introduce people. We help preserve the businesses that give Livingston County its character, keep services local, and strengthen the economic heartbeat of our rural communities. When a business stays in local hands, jobs stay here, too, and that matters.

If you’re exploring ownership or considering selling, we can walk you through the process, connect you with resources, and make sure you’re not navigating it alone.

Small Business Success Stories

In Livingston County, small businesses have a big impact. Our community is full of local success stories. Many of our owners started small and then expanded their team, their business hours and offerings, their square footage, or product lines. Do you dream of owning your own space? We are here to help make that a reality for you and your business.