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Focus Wins: Moonrise’s Smart Pivot + $400M AI Investment Lands in NY
Last week’s piece on the Hudson Valley networking gap sparked real action—business leaders across the region responded with events, ideas, and calendar updates. That’s the power of focused community building. Today’s intel follows the same principle: strategic moves, verified opportunities, and what’s actually working right now in our corner of New York.
Local Business Intelligence
Moonrise Bagels (Poughkeepsie) just made a textbook business decision: they’re eliminating everything except what customers love most. Starting August 14, their Poughkeepsie location will serve only stuffed bagels. Co-founder Ali Chetkof calls it “doubling down on what makes us special.”
This isn’t downsizing—it’s strategic focus. When you know what works, lean into it harder.
Capital & Infrastructure Moves
$400M AI Bet on New York – The state committed $275 million to launch the Empire AI Consortium, centered at the University at Buffalo, with an additional $125 million in private matching funds. This is a long-term play to position New York as an AI infrastructure leader.
Cold Spring Lodging Tax Extension – Governor Hochul signed a two-year extension for Cold Spring’s authority to levy a 4% lodging tax through July 21, 2027, giving the village predictable municipal revenue.
Networking Pipeline Update
Your responses to last week’s networking gap piece are paying off. Here’s what’s confirmed:
Brewster Chamber of Commerce upcoming events:
August 20 – “Dine & Donate” monthly meeting
August 28 – Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting for Haviland Deli & Café
September 25 – Multi-Chamber Mixer @ Tilly Foster Farm
Also tracking: ConnectHV’s next Newburgh event (TBD) and BEAHIVE Beacon’s Main Street Summit on September 30.
This Friday – We’re publishing a complete, curated list of Hudson Valley business networking opportunities, powered by your submissions and our verification process.
New Resource: AI Jumpstart Lab Launch
If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to up your AI confidence and start using it to grow your business, this is it.
A very knowledgable business owner associate, Delia Ursulescu, and I have officially launched AI Jumpstart Lab — designed to take you from curious to confident with hands-on strategies that work in the real world.
🎥 Watch our kickoff video here: AI Jumpstart Lab Launch on YouTube
The pattern here isn’t coincidence: focus beats sprawl, strategic investment beats random spending, and verified intel beats assumptions. That’s how regions grow.
The Gratitude Corner
This week, I’m grateful for every business owner who responded, connected the dots, or simply took a minute to send an idea. HV Vibes thrives on that spirit—and so does our region’s growth.
Forward this to a fellow HV business leader or send them to hvvibes.com to subscribe.
P.S. The win isn’t in doing more—it’s in doing what works.
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Building strategic advantage,
Ed Weeks, Jr., MBA – Your Hudson Valley Business Intel Source
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