The SUNY Business and Education Cooperative of the Southern Tier (SUNY BEST) will host an event featuring two speakers who will address "PACE Financing" and "76 West" at 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, in Room 220 at the Binghamton University Downtown Center, 67 Washington St., Binghamton. This presentation is free and open to the public.

As the Southern Tier region continues to position itself as a smart energy leader, this event will showcase two key elements of a successful Southern Tier energy strategy. Joseph Del Sindaco, advisor to the Energy Improvement Corporation of New York State, will speak on PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy), a program that if the municipal taxing authority agrees, allows property owners to install clean energy technology and pay for it over time as an additional line on their property tax bill. Michael Shimazu, senior advisor for business growth and innovation at NYSERDA, is the project manager for the NYS initiative, "76 West." This $20 million Southern Tier-only competition will support the growth of clean energy companies in the region through competitive prizes totaling $100,000 to $1 million.

Pre-registration for this discussion is required through the SUNY BEST website at http://sunybest.binghamton.edu/. For additional information, e-mail sunybest@binghamton.edu.

SUNY BEST, a community development and outreach enterprise of Binghamton University, represents a volunteer group comprised of senior staff members from key economic and educational institutions in the Southern Tier. The group works to forge strong alliances, strengthen industry specific needs, and provide information and outreach for business.