Operation Oswego County recognizes and presents awards to a total of three businesses or organizations and two individuals each year at its Annual Meeting.

Ally Award

• must be a municipality, for profit or not-for-profit organization,
• must make a significant contribution to the economic development process in Oswego County, and
• such contribution must be outstanding within the organization’s ordinary scope of services.

2023 Ally Award — Pictured are, from left, Austin Wheelock, OOC Executive Director, Victoria Furlong, VP for Administration and Finance at SUNY Oswego, and Ellen Holst, OOC Board President.

Past Recipients

• 1987 Niagara Mohawk
• 1988 County of Oswego Department of Employment & Training
• 1989 NYS Department of Economic Development, CNY Regional Office
• 1990 Oswego County BOCES
• 1991 New York JDA
• 1992 Ed Vayner & Associates
• 1993 Greater Oswego Chamber of Commerce
• 1994 Oswego County Building and Construction Trades Council
• 1995 SUNY Oswego
• 1996 Niagara Mohawk / Fulton Savings Bank
• 1997 Oswego County Dept. of Planning & Community Development & Oswego County Planning Board
• 1998 NYS Empire State Development
• 1999 NYS Office of Recycling Market Development
• 2000 U.S. Small Business Administration, Syracuse District Office
• 2001 Local News, Inc.
• 2002 SUNY Oswego SBDC
• 2003 Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board
• 2004 Niagara Mohawk
• 2005 Empire State Development
• 2006 International Brotherhood Of Electrical Workers, Local 43 and the United Association Of Plumbers And Steamfitters, Local 73
• 2007 Entergy Nuclear and Oswego County Public Utility Service
• 2008 Port of Oswego Authority
• 2009 U.S. Small Business Administration
• 2010 National Grid
• 2011 USDA Rural Development
• 2012 CenterState CEO
• 2013 Pathfinder Bank
• 2014 Empire State Development Corporation
• 2015 Oswego County Division of Employment and Training — One–Stop Center
• 2016 Upstate Energy Jobs Coalition
• 2017 CiTi BOCES
• 2018 C&S Companies
• 2019 Cayuga Community College — Fulton Campus
• 2020 —
• 2021 Richard S. Shineman Foundation
• 2022 Oswego County Airport

Business Excellence Award

• must be a private sector organization in Oswego County,
• must show adaptation and growth in a competitive business environment,
• must provide quality service and customer choice to its customers,
• must have received professional recognition for recent accomplishments or have passed a unique milestone in history, and
• must exhibit ongoing community service or support of community programs through donations of time and monetary resources.

2023 Business Excellence Award — Pictured are, from left, Austin Wheelock, OOC Executive Director, Matthew Serrao, Production Manager-Coating at Felix Schoeller, Debra Kingsley, Human Resources Manager at Felix Schoeller, Jen Weeks, Supply Chain Manager at Felix Schoeller, Tom Yager, Production Manager-Converting at Felix Schoeller, and Ellen Holst, OOC Board President.

Past Recipients

• 1995 GEO Hotel Co., Inc.
• 1996 Sithe Energies
• 1997 Fulton Tool Company
• 1998 Fulton Savings Bank
• 1999 Oswego Health, Inc.
• 2000 Agrilink Foods, Inc.
• 2001 Wayne Drug Company
• 2002 New York Bold, LLC
• 2003 Entergy Nuclear Northeast
• 2004 The Fulton Companies
• 2005 Oswego County National Bank
• 2006 Oswego Industries, Inc.
• 2007 Eagle Beverage Company
• 2008 Novelis
• 2009 Bosco & Geers Food Market
• 2010 HealthWay Home Products
• 2011 Oswego County Opportunities, Inc.
• 2012 Huhtamaki
• 2013 R.M. Burritt Motors, Inc.
• 2014 Pathfinder Industries
• 2015 Behling Orchards
• 2016 Universal Metal Works
• 2017 Oswego Speedway
• 2018 1886 Malt House
• 2019 United Wire Technologies
• 2020 —
• 2021 Wiltsie Construction Company
• 2022 Menter Ambulance

Jobs Award

• must be a private sector employer in Oswego County,
• must make a significant capital investment and/or significant creation/retention of jobs in Oswego County, and
• must make a significant, overall impact on the Oswego County economy.

2023 Jobs Award — Pictured are, from left, Austin Wheelock, OOC Executive Director, Catherine Gill, CEO and Administrator at St. Luke Health Services, Shelly Youngs, Assistant Administrator at St. Luke Health Services, and Ellen Holst, OOC Board President.

• 1986 Blount Lumber
• 1987 General Foods
• 1988 Oswego Wire
• 1989 Morrill Press
• 1990 Alcan Aluminum Corporation
• 1991 Hammermill Papers
• 1992 Miller Brewery
• 1993 St. Luke’s Health Care Facility
• 1994 Nestle Chocolate & Confections
• 1995 Reynolds Metals
• 1996 Sealright Packaging Company
• 1997 Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation
• 1998 Oswego Wire, Inc.
• 1999 Crysteel Manufacturing, Inc.
• 2000 Seneca Hill Manor, Inc.
• 2001 North Coast Software, Inc.
• 2002 Huhtamaki Packaging Worldwide
• 2003 Walmart of Central Square
• 2004 Wise Buys Stores, Inc.
• 2005 New York Chocolate and Confections Company
• 2006 Lowe’s Home Improvement
• 2007 Felix Schoeller Technical Papers
• 2008 Kinney Drugs, Inc.
• 2009 Constellation Energy
• 2010 Oswego Health
• 2011 Sunoco, Inc.
• 2012 The Fulton Companies
• 2013 Novelis Corporation
• 2014 Felix Schoeller North America
• 2015 Champlain Valley Specialty
• 2016 Eagle Beverage Co.
• 2017 Exelon
• 2018 Morningstar Residential Care Center/The Gardens by Morningstar
• 2019 EJ USA
• 2020 —
• 2021 ConnextCare
• 2022 Novelis

Dee Heckethorn Entrepreneur Award

• must be an individual who has a business in Oswego County,
• must bring an innovative product or service to Oswego County that acts as a catalyst for further economic growth, and
• must assume considerable initiative and risk bringing their product or service to Oswego County.

2023 Dee Heckethorn Award — Pictured are, from left, Austin Wheelock, OOC Executive Director, Brenden Backus, Kevin Dates and Stephen Dates, co-owners of Lock 1 Distilling Company, and Ellen Holst, OOC Board President.

Past Recipients

• 2007 Douglas Caster
• 2008 Pat Jones
• 2009 Randy Yerden
• 2010 Heidi Hazen-Forte
• 2011 Edward Alberts
• 2012 George (Buddy) Broadwell
• 2013 Vincent G. Lobdell
• 2014 Gregory Furlong & Patrick Furlong
• 2015 Norman E. Swanson
• 2016 Atom & Falecia Avery
• 2017 Allen Chase
• 2018 Dr. Padma Ram
• 2019 Anthony M. Pauldine
• 2020 —
• 2021 Rebekah Alford
• 2022 Elizabeth & Richard Hamilton

Martin Rose Economic Developer Merit Award

• must be an individual who is not a professional economic developer,
• must have a record of exhibiting outstanding leadership, support and/or cooperation in furthering economic development efforts in Oswego County, and
• must have a record of creating and implementing economic development strategies which benefit Oswego County.

2023 Martin Rose Award — Pictured are, from left, Austin Wheelock, OOC Executive Director, Thomas Greco, retired Mortgage Loan Originator at Fulton Savings Bank, and Ellen Holst, OOC Board President.

Past Recipients

• 1986 H. Willard Pierce
• 1987 F. Hosmer Culkin
• 1988 Martin Rose
• 1989 Eben Poland
• 1990 Arthur Clawson
• 1991 Hollis Iselin
• 1992 Hon. John M. McHugh
• 1993 Hon. H. Douglas Barclay
• 1994 Donald S. Voorhies
• 1995 Arthur W. Ospelt
• 1996 Hon. James W. Wright
• 1997 Louis R. Pettinelli
• 1998 Hon. Frances Sullivan
• 1999 Steven W. Thomas
• 2000 Dee C. Heckethorn
• 2001 Lawrence O’Brien, Sr.
• 2002 Eugene G. Saloga
• 2003 Carolyn A. Rush
• 2004 Bruce B. Phelps
• 2005 Nancy J. Bellow
• 2006 Corte J. Spencer
• 2007 William A. Barclay
• 2008 Thomas S. Weatherup
• 2009 George Joyce
• 2010 Morris Sorbello
• 2011 Deborah Stanley
• 2012 Gary Toth
• 2013 Ronald L. Woodward, Sr.
• 2014 Ann C. Gilpin
• 2015 Lawrence R. Perras
• 2016 Thomas W. Schneider
• 2017 Kevin Gardner
• 2018 David Turner
• 2019 David Dano
• 2020 —
• 2021 William Barlow
• 2022 Michael Pollock