About Orange County Business Accelerator

Michael J. DiTullo, of Wallkill, N.Y., is a lifelong businessman and economic development connoisseur. DiTullo's entrepreneurial spirit was seeded in 1973 as proprietor of a network of gourmet markets in Poughkeepsie, which he later sold to become a consultant in the food industry and in commercial real estate. From 1984 to 1986, DiTullo was an economic development specialist for Dutchess County Economic Development Corporation. In 1987, he chaired the first Poughkeepsie Riverfest as a member of the city's Tri-Centennial Commission, an event that attracted more than 100,000 visitors.

In 1986, DiTullo became the first president and C.E.O. of the Orange County Partnership, an organization recognized as one of the top 10 economic development corporations in the nation by the Industrial Research Council. He held that position until 1996. For eight years thereafter, DiTullo was president and C.E.O. of Mid-Hudson Pattern for Progress, a nonprofit public policy, research and planning institute- a regional thinktank. He is co-founder and past president of Team Hudson Valley, a consortium of regional economic development organizations incorporated to promote inward corporate investment to the valley.

As vice president of business and community development at Liberty-based Granite Associates and the Gerry Foundation, he spearheaded the planning and assembling of a project team for a 1,500-acre mixed-used theme attraction at the original Woodstock site in Bethel, N.Y., now known as Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.

DiTullo most recently served as managing director of business attraction and government relations for The Solar Energy Consortium (T.S.E.C.) in Kingston, N.Y. There he successfully led efforts to expand business and promote economic growth in the region, appearing on CNN, PBS and NPR and speaking before the United States Congress and both the New York State Assembly and Senate on issues of economic and employment development.

DiTullo holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Empire State College and is a graduate of Pace Law School's Land Use Law Center Leadership Alliance Program.

James R. Petro, Jr., of New Windsor, N.Y., is a lifelong planning and development professional. Petro is currently Chairman of the Orange County Industrial Development Agency and has decades of entrepreneurial experience.

In his professional career, Petro has constructed and owned more than 25 buildings since 1971 and continues to make economic and industrial development his number one priority. He is also a successful numismatist and has owned and operated a professional coin collection and appraisal business since 1971.

Petro began his civic career as a member of the Town of New Windsor Planning Board (1991- 2006), where he was Chairman for 14 years. Petro presided over 375 meetings, 300 public hearings and 1,700 applications in one of Orange County's most active municipalities. He worked daily on land use regulations, SEQR, wetlands regulations, zoning local laws, Z.B.A. matters, Building Department procedures, inter-municipal cooperation, open space and impact of litigation.

In 1998, Petro was appointed chairman of a special committee assigned to spearhead a purchase-lease agreement between the United States Army and the Town of New Windsor for the former Army sub-post at Stewart International Airport. He was instrumental in contract negotiations that led to the purchase of the 255-acre parcel from the government for $1 and a multi-million lease to developer First Columbia, L.L.C. The property has since developed into a successful business park, bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax revenue to Orange County.

In 2006, Petro was elected to the board of Orange County Industrial Development Agency and one year later elected chairman. Within his 2 years on the board, he became a driving force in bringing taxables and good-paying jobs to Orange County. He facilitated the sale of a 58-acre business park at Stewart International Airport to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and introduced the realm of entrepreneurial development to the IDA early in 2009 with the concept of a local business incubator, now called Orange County Business Accelerator.

Edward A. Diana was born and raised in Orange County and has spent his entire professional career working to secure Orange County's future, both as an educator and a legislator.

Prior to being elected Orange County Executive in 2001, Diana worked for 30 years as an educator and athletic instructor in the Minisink Valley School District. He knows what it's like to run a small business, having owned the very popular downtown Middletown restaurant "Diana's," one that his parents and grandparents started in 1936.

Diana has a wide range of experience working in various levels of government. He currently is carrying out his third four-year term as County Executive. Diana also served 12 years as Republican/Conservative county legislator and for six years held the position as Majority Leader. He has the understanding of what it takes to make government work, having also been a councilman and deputy supervisor in the Town of Wallkill in the early 1980s.

During his terms of office, the Diana Administration has tackled head-on the numerous challenges facing our Orange County, one of the fastest growing counties in New York State. Diana has taken steps to revitalize cities and villages, fight crime among the county's youth, promote culture and the arts, upgrade infrastructure and enhance services provided by the County.

Diana was recently elected president of New York State Association of Counties, a position which enables him to continue to be an active voice for fiscal reform and common sense polices that will help to change the way New York State operates. Diana is a member of numerous civic organizations including: the Sons of Italy, the Middletown Elks, UNICO and the Goshen Historic Track Board. He is a former member of the Middletown Kiwanis, past president of the Middletown High School Booster Club and former board member of the Horton Hospital Board. Diana has devoted over ten years to coaching at Minisink Valley High School, as well as to the local youth Pop Warner football league.

Diana is a graduate of Middletown High School and Orange County Community College. He holds a bachelor's degree from Southern Connecticut University and a Masters in Education from Ithaca College.

A venture business expert, Peter J. Gregory, MBA, MSEE, has been bringing the value of his expertise as a seasoned business leader to CEOs, presidents, and business owners across the nation for more than 25 years. Gregory’s recent 10 years working exclusively as a business development advisor to high-growth startup ventures has been the culmination of experience and lessons learned throughout his career delivering compelling market solutions to diverse industries.

Before joining the Accelerator team, Gregory helped guide high-growth businesses in the New York State solar economic ecosystem, engaged as a 3rd party resource by The Solar Energy Consortium. Routinely tasked with creating direction and control in ambiguous situations, he is a prolific business strategy architect and venture company promoter. He is skillful at synthesizing balanced finance, marketing and operations.

Founder and managing director of BrightGarden Strategies, Gregory is active in developing local seed investment networks, including the Dutchess County Angel Network. As Program Director for FSI Systems in Victor, N.Y. for two years, he held complete responsibility for enhancing startup company propositions for venture-pitch events, as well as attracting potential angel investors. Gregory has extensively coached CEO’s in the art of raising capital, having engaged dozens of client companies from Boston to Miami over the last 9 years, advising and implementing methods of improving capital and marketing position.

Gregory attributes his broadly cross-discipline abilities to his initial years as an individual contributor in a F100 corporate research group. Responsibilities progressed to lead technical development/management positions with Harris Corporation, director of product development at a consumer payment and electronic funds transfer (EFT) system startup, and director of business development for a technology and applications outsourcing company.

Gregory earned his M.B.A. with concentrations in Finance & Entrepreneurship at William E. Simon Graduate School of Business, University of Rochester. He also holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology.

Reilly, of Wallkill, N.Y., has spent 27 years of her professional career at IBM, where she worked in numerous capacities, mostly in Production Control and Quality Assurance. She is proficient in numerous office management and manufacturing operations and has completed over two dozen safety and operations courses during her IBM career.

Reilly was hired by IBM as a Manufacturing Operator in 1983, and quickly rose through the ranks to become a Program Analyzer, a post she held for almost 20 years. Reilly was most recently a Team Leader, where she implemented decision-making skills and provided direction in cost-cutting, idea generation and operational procedures.

Reilly is a graduate of Wallkill Senior High School and continued her education at Orange County Community College. Reilly has an impressive volunteer record, which includes 14 years between Wallkill Youth Football and Wallkill High School Football. She also organized a team and did extensive fundraising for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk in New York City.