 Nearly 300 community leaders graduated from the program during its 12 years of operation.In 1997, the Pratt Center played a pivotal role in founding the New York Industrial Retention Network (NYIRN), which has since worked with more than 2,100 local businesses employing 93,000 people.NYIRN’s research and policy work has gained greater public recognition for the importance of blue-collar businesses and workers in the city and its neighborhoods.