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Development Newsletter
November/December 2004:
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Huhtamaki Expansion, Modernization
Plans Underway
Huhtamaki Consumer Packaging recently provided an update of its
expansion project and plans for modernization of its warehousing
facility at its plant in Fulton:
In February 2004, Huhtamaki was awarded Ben and Jerry’s packaging
business. As a result, 35 new employees were hired in the second
quarter.
Transition of the business to Fulton included a $1.1 million project
to provide production tooling and equipment necessary to manufacture
the product. Due to the addition of the Ben and Jerry’s volume
and strong growth of existing business, Huhtamaki expanded to a
24/7 operation in most departments which resulted in the hiring
of an additional 25 new employees for a total of 60 new jobs since
the second quarter.
Several phases of machinery moves within the plant were also completed
in 2004 including a new machine room utilizing a warehouse expansion
that was built in 2001, which included the closing of First Street.
To meet the storage demand, a warehouse optimization project is
planned to begin in the first quarter of 2005. This will include
the relocation and expansion of the dock doors currently located
on Division Street to the wall of the warehouse which adjoins the
former scrap yard property now owned by the County of Oswego IDA.
This property will be utilized to expand shipping capabilities by
providing more dock space and trailer staging areas. It will also
alleviate congestion on Division Street due to the physical constraints
of the existing dock location. A New York State grant of $100,000
secured by Sen. James Wright was a significant factor toward advancing
this specific project.
“We would like to personally thank all of the state and local
officials who have been supportive of Huhtamaki including Sen. James
Wright, Assemblyman Will Barclay, the County of Oswego Industrial
Development Agency, Operation Oswego County, the city of Fulton,
the Fulton Community Development Agency and the County of Oswego,”
said Thomas Meucci, director of operations for Huhtamaki.
Huhtamaki is one of the world’s largest packaging companies
with more than 70 manufacturing and sales units and over 15,000
employees in 36 countries. Its focus and expertise is in paper,
plastic, films and molded fiber.
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Lowe’s Opens in Oswego
Lowe’s home improvement store on state Route 104 East in
Oswego opened for business in December.
Hours of operation for the new store are Monday through Saturday,
7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe’s is the second-largest
home improvement retailer in the world serving approximately 10
million customers a week at more than 1,025 home improvement stores
in 45 states.
One hundred seventy jobs were created by the 133,600 square-foot
Oswego store.
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MDA
Announces 2005 Summer Internship Program
Following the recommendation of the Central Upstate Regional Alliance,
the Syracuse Metropolitan Development Association (MDA) is launching
The Essential New York Initiative 2005 Summer Internship Program.
The Alliance, a 12-county, 25-member public/private development
consortium whose goal is to promote broader regional cooperation
on issues of collective importance, has determined that:
- Internships, co-ops and summer jobs with regional businesses
are proven strategies for converting graduates into permanent
residents;
- Internships allow a business to develop its workforce from
the ground up and establish a workforce “pipeline”
with regional colleges and universities;
- Internships are an incredibly effective way of stimulating
knowledge and technology transfer from regional colleges and universities;
and
- Nationwide, nearly 60% of employers offer full-time positions
to students that intern with them. And more than 85% of employers
who hire a former intern find that these employees have a higher
retention rate than other employees (NACE: 2004 Experiential Education
Survey).
The internship program seeks to provide substantive, paying internships
that will allow students to gain hands-on experience in their field
of study. In addition, the program will provide participants the
opportunity for social and cultural interaction within Central New
York communities, as well as the chance to learn more about the
economic opportunities that Central New York has to offer.
Through this program, the business community can send an unmistakable
message to the 130,000 college students throughout the region that
Central New York offers many exciting career opportunities with
strong and innovative companies. By agreeing to participate, businesses
would be committing to provide one or more substantive, paying internship
opportunities that would allow a student to gain hands-on experience
in their field of study.
To make the process easy and productive, the MDA serves as a clearinghouse
for regional internship opportunities, access to 35 colleges and
universities (and the 130,000 students they educate), and social
and cultural opportunities for peer networking among the interns.
In addition, if businesses have never had an intern before or are
concerned about the commitment that is required, the MDA has developed
a handbook that is designed to answer many of these questions and
provide ideas about how to get the most out of an internship.
For more information or for a company application, call the MDA
at (315) 422-8284.
Oswego County is a member of the Alliance and is represented by
Operation Oswego County Executive Director L. Michael Treadwell
and Laser Transit CEO and OOC Board President George Joyce.
The Alliance meets several times throughout the year to establish
regional priorities including identifying issues for regional cooperation;
developing and branding a regional identity; fostering a cooperative
regional consciousness; and identifying champions for specific projects
and recommendations.
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OOC
Business Assistance: Operation Oswego County
offers an array of business assistance services to both new and
expanding companies throughout Oswego County.
North Shore Powder Coating and Metal Fabrication
of Constantia will specialize in metal fabricating, custom liquid
painting and powder coating, a paint process that consists of applying
powder paint to an electrostatic charged metal object and curing
it in an oven or by infrared lighting. The owner is a graduate of
the Micro-Enterprise Training Program and will receive funding from
the County of Oswego Industrial Development Agency (IDA). The project
will create six jobs.
Stupp’s Auto Body and Towing of Hannibal
is a new auto body repair business that will provide towing services
and will specialize in restoring classic cars. The owner is also
a graduate of the Micro-Enterprise Training Program and received
a Micro-Enterprise loan through the IDA.
Mark’s Service Center in Central Square
was one of four area auto repair garages named 2004 “Top Shop”
by AAA. Each year, AAA (Western and Central New York) recognizes
auto repair shops that “are doing the most toward customer
satisfaction.
In an effort to encourage people to purchase goods from local microenterprises,
MicroBizNY will list the websites of small businesses that sell
products online on their website www.microbizny.org.
To request a listing, contact Emily Siegel, MicroBizNY program coordinator
at (518) 463-5576.
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WNET Spring Schedule Announced
The Women’s Network for Entrepreneurial Training
(WNET) 2005 spring schedule is as follows:
March 3: “Bring Organization
to Your Chaos—Skills for Managing Your Business at Home”
with Lisa DeVeau, Completely Organized, at SUNY Oswego Institute
for Professional and Organizational Development, Phoenix; catered
by Aunt Mary’s Italian Cookies and Catering;
April 7: “Challenges for Women
in Authority” with Nancy Bellow, SUNY Oswego Center for Business
and Community Development, at Chubby’s Bar and Grill, Fulton;
May 5: “You Are Your Business—Take
Care of Yourself” with Dr. Mary Starr Parmley, Starr Health,
at Battle Island Bed and Breakfast, Fulton; and
June 2: “You Have a Web Site...Now
What?” with Trisha Torrey, IntegriMark and Jody Frawley, Dot
Publishing, Inc., at SUNY Oswego Institute for Professional and
Organizational Development, Phoenix; catered by Aunt Mary’s
Italian Cookies and Catering.
WNET is coordinated locally by Cornell Cooperative
Extension of Oswego County with assistance from Operation Oswego
County, Oswego Community Development Office, SUNY Oswego’s
Center for Business and Community Development, BeautiControl, Dot
Publishing, Inc., Oliver B. Paine Greenhouses, the Oswego County
Chamber of Commerce and the SBA.
For more information about WNET, call (315) 963-7286,
extension 501 or visit www.oswegocounty.org.
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OOC
Recognized by National Publication
Business Facilities magazine recently recognized
Operation Oswego County with an honorable mention for its 12th Annual
Economic Development Awards (EDA). OOC received the honor for its
facilitation of the public/private partnership that enabled the
reutilization of the former Nestle facility in Fulton by New York
Chocolate & Confections Company.
Business Facilities is a national site selection
magazine which provides monthly news and resource information for
more than 40,000 corporate executives responsible for the expansion
or relocation of their companies.
According to the magazine, the EDA recognitions are awarded each
year to economic development organizations “for the innovation
of their development programs, the effectiveness of those programs,
and their ability to create a pro-business environment that will
continue to strengthen communities for decades to come.”
Other awardees included the Greater Omaha,
NE Chamber of Commerce for its $3 billion project, “Omaha’s
Targeted Investment in Economic Development” and the Whitley
County, IN Economic Development Corporation for its “Tax Increment
Finance District” project which created 1,499 jobs and retained
963.
“To be included in this group of the
highest caliber, award-winning projects in the country is an honor
and truly speaks to the viability of Oswego County as an exceptional
place to locate a business,” said L. Michael Treadwell, CEcD,
OOC executive director.
“This recognition would not have been
possible without the cooperation and support from our federal, state
and local partners.”
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SBA
504 Program Enhanced
In December, the U.S. House
of Representatives passed a senate amendment to the 2005 Omnibus
Appropriations Act that included small business provisions which
enhance and strengthen the SBA 504 Loan Program.
Key changes include:
- An increase in the maximum size of 504 loans to $1.5 million
for regular loans and $4 million for manufacturing loans;
- One job must be created for every $50,000 guaranteed by SBA
for regular 504 projects; and
- One job must be created for every $100,000 guaranteed by SBA
for manufacturing projects.
OOC is authorized to finance
projects using the 504 loan program which is designed to promote
economic development growth and job creation in small businesses.
An SBA Certified Development
Company (CDC), such as OOC, finances up to 40 percent of the project
with an SBA 504 loan, a bank finances at least 50 percent and the
small business provides ten percent equity. The SBA 504 loan is
guaranteed 100 percent by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
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