Economic
Development Newsletter
Quarter 1, 2007 (Jan-March):
 Download
this newsletter
This newsletter is partially
funded by Operation Oswego County Foundation, Inc. and our economic
development supporters.
Renewable Energy
Coming into Focus at Riverview Business Park
National Grid recently awarded $134,389
to Operation Oswego County to contract with O’Brien &
Gere to create a master plan for energy asset management and development
at Riverview Business Park (RBP) in the town of Volney. The plan
will analyze existing energy assets, project future needs and opportunities,
and quantify and qualify possible solutions with an emphasis on
renewable and innovative technologies.
The study will be a collaboration of partners
associated with the renewable energy field including Syracuse Center
of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems, SUNY College
of Environmental Science and Forestry, Clarkson, Cornell and Syracuse
Universities, New York AgriDevelopment Corporation and the New York
Farm Bureau. Public sector partners in the study will include Empire
State Development Corporation, New York State Department of Agriculture
and Markets, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority,
USDA Rural Development, Rep. John McHugh, New York State Sen. James
Wright, and Assemblyman William Barclay.
“The future development of RBP and
its potential users like the Northeast Biofuels (NEB) ethanol project
will mean more jobs and economic opportunity for the people of Oswego
County and upstate New York,” said Eric W. Will II, co-owner
of Riverview and developer of NEB.
NEB and partner Permolex International have
recently begun construction on what will be one of the nation’s
largest ethanol plants and likely first in New York State and the
Northeast. The plant will occupy about 90 acres adjacent to the
330-acre RPB, which is being developed as an industrial park with
a special focus on renewable energy and agribusiness. During construction
of the plant, approximately 450 local workers will be on the job.
When operational later this year, NEB is expected to employ a staff
of 50, and will help create approximately 1,500 spin-off jobs in
agriculture, transportation, and other sectors of the upstate New
York economy.
NEB has estimated that it expects to use
more than 40 million bushels of corn to produce 114 million gallons
of ethanol a year. The ethanol will be marketed for use primarily
in New York State and the Northeast as a clean-burning, oil-saving
gasoline additive. About 25 percent of the corn is expected to be
purchased from New York State farmers.
Biodiesel manufacturer GS Fulton Biodiesel
will also locate at RBP. The multi million-dollar project will produce
10 million gallons of biodiesel a year from soybeans. BOC Gases
will build a $14-million liquefaction facility to capture and process
carbon dioxide from NEB for sale in the industrial gas market. Perdue
Farms will also be heavily involved both supplying corn to NEB and
marketing distiller dried grains, an ethanol co-product sold as
a nutritional supplement for dairy and other livestock.
Back
to Top
Winter Harbor
Recieves 2007 “Small Business Excellence” Award
The U.S. Small Business Administration recently
recognized Winter Harbor LLC with a “Business Excellence Award”
at the ninth annual Small Business Excellence Awards luncheon and
ceremony in Syracuse.
Winter Harbor is a state-of-the art indoor
heated boat storage and servicing business in the town of Hastings,
NY. The business started in 1999 by building a 44,000-square-foot
facility, and the expansion of a new 39,000 square foot building
was completed in 2005. The facility, located on the Oneida River,
has the capacity to store boats up to 80 feet in length and weighing
as much as 148,000 pounds. The business is also equipped to handle
fiberglass and gel-coat repair, engine, propeller, shaft and hull
repair and maintenance.
The business employs 25 people.
Back to Top
Phelps Named
New York State “Small Business Person of the Year”
Bruce Phelps, founder of Fulton Tool Company,
was recently named New York State “Small Business Person of
the Year” and was recognized at the Small Business Administration’s
(SBA) Annual Small Business Excellence Awards luncheon.
“Bruce Phelps epitomizes the hard work,
the risk-taking, and the determination to overcome adversity that
are the characteristics of successful American entrepreneurs,”
said SBA Syracuse District Director, Bernard J. Paprocki. “These
are the qualities that make small businesses such a powerful economic
force and I am proud of Bruce Phelps for his personal achievement
and contribution to the prosperity of Central New York.”
The company, founded in Fulton by Phelps
in 1959, has an outstanding reputation as a high quality supplier
of precision machined parts and contract machining services, specializing
in the space, rotary compression and sporting goods industries.
They have also worked for military and aerospace programs including
making parts for the M1 Abrams tank and the Stealth bomber.
In 2003, Fulton Tool Company’s 44-year
legacy was reduced to rubble by a catastrophic fire that tore through
the facility. Phelps’ resilient entrepreneurial spirit and
powerful leadership convinced his employees, local economic leaders
and the people of the City of Fulton that Fulton Tool would rise
again. Using assistance provided by Operation Oswego County and
the SBA 504 program, Bruce and his partner Pete Russell, were able
to rebuild in Fulton, rather than elsewhere in the U.S. Today, the
company employs 22 people, operating in a 35,000 square-foot facility
with new state-of-the-art equipment.
David Dano also Recognized by SBA
Operation Oswego County’s Business
and Finance Director, David Dano was awarded SBA’s “Financial
Services Champion of the Year.” Since securing funding on
his first 504 loan submitted in 2001, Dano has 28 funded and active
504 loans for a total of $6,145,000 and currently has 11 loans awaiting
closing/funding for a total of $1,434,000.
Back to Top
Local Businesses,
Community Members Support Economic Development
Each year, OOC asks local business to invest
in the future of Oswego County and help us continue to provide critical
economic development services to our community by contributing to
the fund drive.
Novelis provided the top economic
development “booster” for the fund drive, with
a contribution of $10,000.
Topping the next category of Corporate
Boosters were: Alliance Bank, Caraccioli and Associates,
Eastern Shore Associates, Entergy Nuclear Northeast, Fulton Savings
Bank, Hiscock and Barclay, National Grid, NRG Energy, Pathfinder
Bank and Precision Wood Flooring Products, each contributing from
$1,000 to $3,000.
Other supporters of the annual fund drive
include:
Business Boosters: contributing
between $500 and $999 were Broadwell Development, Biospherix, Paul
A. Castaldo Inc., Community Bank, N.A., The Fulton Companies, International
Wire, Matangi Motels, Oswego Wire, Sithe Energies and Wiltsie Construction.
Associate Boosters: contributing
between $100 and $499 included Thomas Arctander Architects, Jack
B. Alter, Bonnie Bostian, C&C Metal Fabrications, C&S Engineers,
Caswell and Associates CPAs, Century 21 Galloway Realty, Steve Chirello
Advertising, DeWald Roofing, DKR Investments, Fulton Tool Company,
Giovanni Foods, Majestic Mold & Tool, Mirabito Development,
Doren Norfleet, Oswego County Business Magazine, Oswego Valley Insurance
Agencies, Charles Rock Associates, Paul W. Schneible, Janice Snyder
Realty, Corte Spencer, Millard Sullivan, Sure-Lock Industries, Thomas-Gatas,
Inc., The Ultimate Edge, Vickery Insurance and VIP Development Associates.
Additional contributors included: The Phoenix
Press, Associated Dental Arts of Oswego, Dr. Marc Grosack, David
Hawthorne, Arthur E. Jones, Lou Pettinelli, Plumbers & Steamfitters
(Local 73), Samuel J. Sugar and David Turner.
Back to Top
OOC Business Assistance:
The RiverHouse Restaurant
is a new restaurant that will be built on a one-acre site in the
village of Pulaski. The new 3,513 square foot facility will seat
124. The $1 million project will create 19 full-time and 26 part-time
jobs and will receive funding assistance from the County of Oswego
Industrial Development Agency (IDA), a Small Business Administration
(SBA) 504 loan through OOC, Community Bank and New York Business
Development Corp.;
Oley’s East will acquire
a former convenience store/gas station located in the town of Scriba.
The building is 2,304 square feet and is located on a one-acre site.
The new owners also own and operate Oley’s Express, a convenience
store/gas station located in the town of Oswego, and Bayside Grocery
located in Fair Haven. The project will create six jobs and will
receive funding assistance from the IDA, an SBA 504 loan through
OOC and Pathfinder Bank; and
Hannibal Village Market
will expand its fresh meat, produce, deli, hot foods, fresh bakery
and natural and organic food lines by adding 2,038 square feet to
its supermarket in the town of Hannibal. The project will create
six jobs and will receive funding assistance from the IDA and Fulton
Savings Bank.
Back to Top
|
