June 19, 2009: Economic Development
Agency Presents Annual Activity Summary, Achievement Awards
Operation Oswego County (OOC) held its 57th
annual meeting at the SUNY Oswego Campus Center, Friday, June 19.
Nancy Bellow, president of the OOC board
of directors, welcomed more than 140 representatives of businesses,
government, education, labor and other ally organizations to the
meeting. She stated that in spite of the downturn in the economy,
Oswego County recognized some very positive and worthwhile economic
achievements during the past year.
Key note presenter Bernard J. Paprocki, Syracuse
district director for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA),
commemorated the 25-year partnership between the SBA and OOC by
highlighting successful small businesses in Oswego County and emphasizing
the significant economic impact that the SBA 504 loan program has
had on small business development in the county. He also discussed
the SBA’s recent efforts as a result of the American Reinvestment
and Recovery Act, and how working together in the future, the SBA,
OOC and other partners in economic development will continue to
create jobs and move the economy forward.
L. Michael Treadwell, executive director
of OOC, reported that in 2008, projects assisted by OOC resulted
in the creation or retention of 761 jobs with over $122 million
in capital investment and 71 new, expanded or retained facilities.
Several of those projects were outlined at
the meeting including:
- Big Orange Radiator
is a new wholesaler and retailer of automotive radiators, condensers
and fan assemblies located in Rich Industrial Park in the town
of Hastings. The project was assisted by the County of Oswego
IDA and will create five jobs;
- Allison Duggan, M.D.
acquired and renovated a 2,874 square foot building in the city
of Oswego in order to expand her general surgery practice. The
$314,000 project was funded by the County of Oswego IDA, a SBA
504 loan through OOC, and Pathfinder Bank;
- Barnett Forest Products
in the town of Scriba is a new logging business that buys logs
from private land owners, harvests them, and sells to lumber companies.
The $355,000 project was funded by a SBA 504 loan through OOC,
and Fulton Savings Bank;
- Cayuga Street Condominiums
is the result of a $2 million, 30,000 square foot conversion of
the former Goldberg’s Furniture store in the city of Fulton
to eight upscale condominiums, three commercial spaces and a private
parking garage. The project was funded by the County of Oswego
IDA and Fulton Savings Bank;
- Great Lakes Recycling
is a new business that recycles used beverage containers. The
project, which created six jobs, reused a former vacant onion
storage facility located in the town of Oswego. The project received
funding assistance from the County of Oswego IDA, a SBA 504 loan
through OOC, and Pathfinder Bank;
- Hart & Stone
is a new 3,800-square foot general store located in the heart
of the village of Mexico’s business district which features
general products and hardware, consigned items from local artisans
and an in-store café. The store owners renovated an historic
building and restored it to its original form when it was built
in the mid 1880s. The project created seven jobs;
- McGillicuddy Enterprises
acquired and renovated a vacant bowling center in the town of
Mexico which will operate as a bowling center and restaurant.
The $163,000 project was assisted by the County of Oswego IDA
and Fulton Savings Bank and will create seven jobs. The owner
is a graduate of the Oswego County Micro Enterprise Training Program;
- Mitchell Printing & Mailing
is a full service, full color printing and mailing service company
that acquired and relocated to the former Speedway Press in the
city of Oswego. The $684,000 project received funding assistance
from a SBA 504 loan through OOC, Pathfinder Bank and the City
of Oswego CDO;
- New York Bold,
in the town of Volney, acquired new packaging, label printing
and computerized weighing equipment for their onion business.
The project was assisted by the County of Oswego IDA and retained
11 jobs;
- The historic Oswego Library
recently opened its doors in the city of Oswego after a 10,000
square foot addition was built to the west of the existing building.
The County of Oswego IDA provided Civic Facility Revenue Bonds
to assist the renovation and expansion;
- Oswego YMCA expanded
its fitness center by relocating it to the former Armory building
and also acquired new equipment. The building will undergo renovations,
boiler improvements and lighting improvements. The project received
funding assistance from the County of Oswego IDA;
- Pathfinder Industries,
manufacturer of precision sheet metal and machined parts in Fulton,
acquired a new machining center and equipment needed to address
increased customer demand. The project will create seven jobs
and received funding from the County of Oswego IDA;
- Stability Fitness
is a 7,000 square foot state-of-the art health club and fitness
center located in the city of Oswego in an historic building.
The project created five jobs and was funded by the County of
Oswego IDA and the City of Oswego Community Development Office;
- Stewart’s Shops
opened in Minetto on the site of the former DuBois Inn. The store
is the third to be located in Oswego County;
- Tim Hortons in
the city of Oswego is the first in Oswego County and is located
on a former Brownfield site. The $1.5 million project was assisted
by the County of Oswego IDA and created 32 jobs;
- Wiltsie Construction expanded
and added a sandblasting facility to their full service mechanical
contracting business in Oswego that manufactures and installs
steel fabricated products. The project was assisted by the County
of Oswego IDA and retained 44 jobs;
- Uniforms Etc. purchased
a 3,500-square foot space in the Cayuga Street Condominiums building
in the city of Fulton. The company specializes in uniforms and
accessories for nurses, physicians, law enforcement, firefighters
and emergency medical professionals; and
- A new 186,296 square foot Wal-Mart
Supercenter opened in the town of Granby. The store is
open 24 hours a day, seven-days-a-week and features a full line
of groceries as well as seafood, a frozen food section and meat,
dairy, bakery and fresh produce sections. The store employs 350.
Three business organizations, a successful
entrepreneur and a long-standing economic development advocate were
also honored for significant contributions to economic development
and job creation in Oswego County.
The Ally Award for 2009 was presented to
the U.S. Small Business Administration, recognizing
it as an “ally” organization in the economic development
process in Oswego County. The SBA was recognized for its crucial
role in facilitating the growth of small businesses in Oswego County,
and for working as a partner with OOC to provide over $11 million
in SBA 504 loans in the past 25 years that have resulted in the
creation/retention of over 650 jobs.
The Business Excellence Award for 2009 was
presented to Bosco & Geers Food Market for
its quality service as a retail grocery store in the city of Oswego
since 1962, for its outstatanding reputation as a family owned and
operated business, for receiving a business excellence award from
SBA in 2008 and for employing more than 30 people.
The 2008 Jobs Award, recognizing significant
capital investment as well as job creation and retention, was presented
to Constellation Energy for being the largest private
employer in Oswego County with more than 850 employees, for being
awarded with a “top industry practice” award by the
nuclear energy institute in 2007, and for its ongoing contribution
to community initiatives including education, environmental improvement
and economic development.
Randy Yerden was the recipient
of OOC’s 2009 Dee Heckethorn Entrepreneur Award. Yerden was
recognized for growing his Lacona-based company, Biospherix, and
making it a world leader in stem cell incubation in the fields of
cell and gene therapy, for his commitment to expand the facility
to make it a center for the most advanced stem cell incubation equipment
in the world, and for employing more than 40 local employees.
George Joyce was honored
with the 2009 Martin Rose Economic Developer Merit Award for his
service as president of OOC for four years, for innovation and entrepreneurial
initiatives as owner of Laser Transit in Lacona which employs more
than 80, for serving on numerous boards which play an integral role
in contributing to the quality of life in Oswego County including
OOC, Oswego Health, Seneca Hill Manor, the Oswego College Foundation,
Pathfinder Bank and the Central Upstate Regional Alliance, and for
Laser Transit being ranked on Inc. Magazine’s list of the
5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the United States.
The OOC board of directors re-elected board
members Jonathan Daniels, executive director of the Port of Oswego
Authority; Kerry Dorsey, Vice President for Development and Alumni
Relations at SUNY Oswego; Edward Gilson, J.W. Stevens Co.; Vincent
Lobdell, owner of HealthWay; Thomas Meucci, director of operations
at Huhtamaki Consumer Packaging; Joseph Solazzo, business agent
for Laborers International Union, Local 214; Gary Toth, business
manager for Carpenter's Local 747 and David Turner director of Oswego
County Department of Community Development, Tourism and Planning.
The OOC board of directors also elected Roy
Clark, owner of Dunkin’ Donuts, and Ellen Holst, director
of the Health Division of Oswego County Opportunities to the board.
Retiring from the board were Millard Sullivan,
former plant manager of Birds Eye Foods and Carol Rutledge, former
director of the Fulton Community Development Agency.
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