Mark Geise
The Chautauqua County Deputy County Executive for Economic Development and CEO of the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency has again been named to Buffalo Business First’s “Power 250” list.
The “Power 250” is an annual list of 250 people the newsroom staff at Buffalo Business First considers the most influential in the eight counties that make up Western New York: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming. In 2026, Mark Geise is ranked No. 192.
Geise was appointed to his roles in March 2018. Since then, he has led efforts to grow and expand business opportunities in Chautauqua County, including overseeing expanded programs to help employers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the past four years, under Geise’s leadership, the CCIDA has assisted with $1.74 billion in capital investment projects in Chautauqua County. These investments include, but are certainly are not limited to, the Cummins Engine internal expansion project ($452 million); Wells Enterprises Phase I, II, and III expansion efforts ($512 million combined); development of shovel-ready sites in both the Town of Ripley ($16 million) and the Town of Ellicott ($600,000); relocation of Maplevale Farms, a long-time food distribution company ($41.4 million); redevelopment of the White Inn in Fredonia ($15+ million), and a multitude of housing projects aimed at providing modern housing options for county residents ($109 million).
Geise also played a key role in creating and overseeing the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth (CCPEG), an initiative of CCIDA’s component organization, the Chautauqua Region Economic Development Corp. (CREDC). In 2025, CCPEG obtained and was awarded millions of dollars in economic development resources to support 51 public-private economic development projects across Chautauqua County. The partnership also provided $400,610 in direct grant funding to 26 projects in 2025.
Under Geise’s oversight, the CCIDA and CCPEG have also focused on talent attraction and retention through the Live CHQ marketing initiative, which promotes the benefits of living and working in the region.
Geise lives in Fredonia with his wife, Katie Geise, who is the Executive Director of the Chautauqua County Workforce Investment Board (Chautauqua Works). They have three adult children: Mark, Aidan and Keely.
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