Suffolk launches digital push to attract businesses as NYC taxes rise

Ed Romaine used Suffolk County government channels to make a blunt sales pitch to companies weighing New York City’s tax fight: come east, bring the jobs, and grow in a county that says it wants business without punishing success. The county executive announced a new digital marketing push aimed at encouraging employers of all sizes to relocate or expand in Suffolk, with the Office of Economic Development set to work directly with interested companies on moves and expansions.

Romaine framed the effort as a direct answer to the pressure building in New York City. “Companies are looking for a place to grow without being penalized for creating jobs,” he said, adding that Suffolk was ready to provide that answer. The message comes as city and state leaders have weighed higher taxes on wealthy residents and corporations, including changes to the corporate tax rate, a pass-through entity tax adjustment and a property-tax surcharge on some high-value cash home purchases.

The county is trying to turn that moment into an economic opening. Suffolk’s Department of Economic Development and Planning says the county offers “the best for business and the best for life” and points to education and scientific research as strengths. The Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency says it can provide tax incentives, technical assistance and other business resources to companies that want to relocate, expand or stay in the county. Suffolk’s business-assistance page also says the county can help with expansion, new construction, equipment purchases and worker recruitment and retention.

That pitch is aimed at a large local market. U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts put Suffolk County’s 2024 estimated population at about 1.53 million, a scale that gives employers access to a deep labor pool and a broad consumer base. County leaders are also leaning on workforce and mobility advantages, including Suffolk County Community College’s training programs and a $150 million state infrastructure commitment announced in February 2025 to connect the Ronkonkoma Long Island Rail Road station with a planned north terminal at Long Island MacArthur Airport.

Romaine had already been using the tax debate as a recruiting tool. In 2025, he said that if Zohran Mamdani won, he would encourage corporations doing business in New York City to move to Suffolk and said the county would give them tax breaks. The new digital campaign suggests that message is becoming a more organized effort to win office space, warehouse activity, headquarters decisions and the tax revenue that follows them. The bigger test now is whether Suffolk can convert political frustration in New York City into real relocations, and whether those moves would be enough to reshape the county’s commercial market and long-term tax base.