Operation Oswego County holds 56th annual meeting

Tag : Beverage Production Line
Operation Oswego County held its 56th annual meeting at the SUNYOswego Campus Center, Friday, June 20.

Key note presenter Tim Barry, senior vice president forO’Brien and Gere, an engineering and project delivery firmheadquartered in Syracuse, spoke about the master plan for energyasset management and development at Riverview Business Park in theTown of Volney.

George Joyce, president of the OOC board of directors, reportedthat in 2007, projects assisted by OOC resulted in the creation orretention of 309 jobs with over $49 million in capital investmentand 62 new, expanded or retained facilities.

Several of those projects were outlined at the meeting including:

" Allison Duggan, M.D. acquired and will renovate a 2,874 squarefoot building in the City of Oswego in order to expand her generalsurgery practice. The $314,000 project was funded by the IDA, aSmall Business Administration 504 loan through OOC, and PathfinderBank;

" Bosco & Geers Food Market, in the City of Oswego, expandedits retail grocery store 2,000 square feet to include additions toits meat, deli and bakery areas. The $750,000 project created 10jobs and was funded by the IDA, a SBA 504 loan through OOC, HSBCand the Oswego CDO;

" D&D Logging and Lumber, a Town of Palermo-based manufacturerof hardwood grade boards used by the lumber and furniture industry,expanded its operation with the acquisition of a sawmill and a 900square foot addition. The $407,000 project will create/retain 12jobs and was funded by the IDA, a SBA 504 loan through OOC andFulton Savings Bank;

" Fulton Tool, in the City of Fulton, acquired a new $430,000milling center to expand machining capaCity in the Fulton EZ,adding two jobs;

" Huhtamaki in Fulton invested $5.7 million in capital improvementprojects including new production equipment, equipment upgrades andbuilding improvements. The plant is located in the Fulton EZ andreceived discounted power from the Power for Progress program;

" Kinney Pharmacy relocated to an 11,598 square-foot new facilityin the City of Fulton. The $2.5 million project retained 34 jobsand received funding from the IDA and Fulton Savings Bank;

" Linde’s BOC liquefaction plant in Volney will process 600tons of C02 per day from Northeast Biofuels for sale to major foodand beverage company customers. The $14 million project in theFulton EZ will create 20 jobs;

" Northeast Biofuels: construction continued on the 114 milliongallons-per-year corn to ethanol project in the Town of Volney. TheIDA assisted the project in the Fulton EZ. Production is scheduledto begin in the summer of 2008. In addition, Rep. John McHughsecured a grant from the United States Department of Housing andUrban Development that was used to help finance the improvement ofrail access at NEB;

" Novelis in Scriba invested $9 million for a new furnace toimprove efficiencies by reducing a two-step process to one. Twentyjobs were added to the Oswego EZ plant;

" Oley’s East is a 2,304 square foot convenience store/gasstation located in the Town of Scriba. The $346,000 project createdsix jobs and received funding assistance from the IDA, a SBA 504loan through OOC and Pathfinder Bank;

" Oswego Hamilton Homes, Phase I began on the $28 million projectto redevelop 189 affordable housing units in the Hamilton Homescomplex in Oswego. Funding assistance was provided by the IDA;

" Peebles completed the total reuse of the former Ames store inOswego with the opening of its department store. The store, whichfeatures brand-name apparel, accessories, cosmetics and footwear,created 15 jobs;

" Riccelli Enterprises acquired the former Crysteel facility in theTown of Volney and will provide transportation and warehousingservices for the Riverview Business Park complex. The $2.5 millionproject was assisted by the IDA and will create 30-35 jobs;

" River House Restaurant is a new 3,500-square-foot, 124-seatfacility located in the village of Pulaski. The $1 million projectcreated 32 jobs and received funding assistance from the IDA, a SBA504 loan through OOC, NYBDC and Community Bank;

" Southern Graphics Systems in the Oswego County Industrial Park inthe Town of Schroeppel completed a $1 million expansion thatincluded the installation of a new copper plating line. The projectwas assisted by Empire State Development and discounted power fromthe Power for Progress program. Twenty-six jobs were retained andone created; and

" Tavern on the Lock is a new restaurant developed through theacquisition and remodeling of the former Lock II Restaurant in theCity of Fulton. The $424,000 project created 20 jobs and financingwas provided by the IDA and the Fulton CDA.

Three business organizations, a successful entrepreneur and apublic official were also honored for significant contributions toeconomic development and job creation in Oswego County.

The Ally Award for 2008 was presented to the Port of OswegoAuthority, recognizing it as an “ally” organization inthe economic development process in Oswego County. The port wasrecognized for moving more than one million tons of cargo throughits terminals from April 2007 through March 2008, for thecompletion of several expansion projects including a $1.1 millionreconstruction of a bulk storage building and a $175,000rehabilitation of the west wharf for salt storage, and forinitiating the rehabilitation of the port’s railinfrastructure and the development of a new maintenance facility.

The Business Excellence Award for 2008 was presented to Novelis forinvesting more than $30 million in equipment over the past threeyears resulting in new job growth, for a recent $9 millioninvestment to install an energy-efficient aluminum melting furnacewhich enabled the addition of a new production line and a tenpercent increase in production and for consistently being one ofthe largest private employers in Oswego County by employing morethan 700.

The company was also recognized for its support and sponsorship ofcommunity events throughout Oswego County.

The 2008 Jobs Award, recognizing significant capital investment aswell as job creation and retention, was presented to Kinney Drugs,Inc. for its continued commitment to locate its pharmacy and retailstores throughout Oswego County and for employing more than 200employees.

Pat Jones was the recipient of OOC’s Dee HeckethornEntrepreneur Award. Jones was recognized for his exceptionalefforts, risks and initiatives he has taken to help foster economicactivity to Oswego County through his role in the development ofthe Sithe Independence Station power generation facility in theTown of Scriba in 1994, the expansion of log and lumberingmanufacturer Great Lakes Veneer in Oswego, for his involvement inlocating Sure-Lock Industries to Oswego in 2004, and for openingPatz on the River in the Oswego harbor.

Thomas Weatherup was honored with the 2008 Martin Rose EconomicDeveloper Merit Award for playing a critical role in building theeconomy and quality of life in Central Square for the last 50 yearsby developing commercial property to attract many prominentbusinesses to the area, for helping to bring medical services tothe community by developing and donating property to the CentralSquare Health Center and the Southern Oswego County AmbulanceService, for developing high-quality residential housingcommunities, and for serving his community as Town of Hastingssupervisor and assessor, and as a member of several volunteerorganizations.

The new slate of officers elected to the board includes NancyBellow, director of SUNY Oswego’s Office of Business andCommunity Relations, as president; Steven Thomas, commercial realestate developer, as vice president; Michael Pollock, president ofFulton Savings Bank, as treasurer; and Alan Horna, general managerand CFO of Oswego Wire, Inc., as secretary.

Re-elected OOC board members include Ronald Darrow, retired,Sherwin-Williams; William Galloway, owner, Century-21 GallowayRealty; Paul Kurtzman, executive director, Oswego Industries; LouisPettinelli, retired, Oswego County BOCES; Bruce Phelps, owner,Fulton Tool Company; Lloyd (Buddy) Stemple, vice president andgeneral manager, Novelis; and Steve Thomas.