You are currently viewing Economic Development Organization Presents Annual Activity Summary, Achievement Awards

Economic Development Organization Presents Annual Activity Summary, Achievement Awards

Operation Oswego County held its 69th annual meeting online on Wednesday, July 14.

Ellen Holst, president of the OOC board of directors, welcomed approximately 50 representatives of businesses, government, education, labor and other ally organizations to the meeting.

L. Michael Treadwell, executive director of OOC, reported that in 2020, projects assisted by OOC and the County of Oswego IDA (COIDA) resulted in the creation or retention of 304 jobs with over $76 million in capital investment associated with 82 new, expanded or retained facilities.

Key projects were outlined at the meeting including:

  • Oswego Health’s Lakeview Center for Mental Health and Wellness, in the City of Oswego, opened after 13 months of construction. The property, on which the new facility was constructed, used to be home to the former Price Chopper and was acquired from the COIDA. The 40,000 sf Center is anticipated to employ 35 to 40 people, in addition to a full-time nurse practitioner. The $17 million project converted a vacant building into a modern mental health facility that includes outpatient care, primary care and other specialty services, in addition to a 32-bed inpatient unit.
  • DePaul Lock 7 Apartments involves the development of a 4-story, 80-unit, affordable and supportive housing project in the City of Oswego. The complex will be 102,000 sf and built on the former Breneman brownfield site. The $19.5 million project will employ 5. Financial assistance is being provided by the COIDA.
  • Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC and the COIDA entered into a Straight Lease Transaction that, over a five-year period, will generate $152 million in PILOT payments for the Town of Scriba, Oswego City School District and the County of Oswego.
  • AllSource Fire Supply, Inc., a certified women-owned manufacturer of prefabricated and partially assembled components for fire suppression systems, constructed a new 3,100 sf facility in the Town of Hastings. The $174,869 project will create two jobs. Financial assistance was provided by M&T Bank, the COIDA and OOC.
  • Maple Hollow Farm, located in the Town of Hannibal, is expanding through the construction and equipping of a milk plant where they will produce value-added dairy products. A NYS Grown and Certified grant of $50,000 was secured with the assistance of CNY Enterprise Development Corporation.
  • Southern Fare is a new restaurant located in the Litatro Building in the City of Oswego. The restaurant will showcase a mixture of southern classics and have a bar with a New Orleans theme. The $316,695 project will employ 19. Financial assistance was provided by the Oswego CEDO and OOC.
  • HealthWay Home Products, Inc. is a manufacturer of air filtration equipment located in Pulaski, NY and has been in business for 20 years. A major expansion of capacity was needed due to demand driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. The expansion project represented an investment of $2.8 million and will create 40 jobs. The financial package included assistance from ESDC, USDA, CNY Enterprise Development Corporation, OOC and COIDA.
  • Expansion of Solar Renewable Energy involves 12 new projects that are being assisted by the COIDA. These projects have a total investment of $59 million and will collectively produce 39 MW of power upon completion.
  • OOC/COIDA COVID-19 Relief Loan Deferral Initiative was authorized to help address the pandemic’s impact on businesses with outstanding loans through OOC and the COIDA. A deferment of interest and principal payments until October 1, 2020 was provided to 25 businesses for loans totaling $2,144,000 with monthly payments of $33,675.
  • SBA 504 Stimulus Payment Initiative was used to assist 26 businesses in Oswego County that had outstanding SBA 504 loans through OOC. Section 1112 Payments were made by SBA for 6 months. The payments, which included principal, interest and fees associated with these loans, totaled $330,405 over the six-month period.
  • COVID-19 Emergency Relief Program was created by OOC to help small businesses impacted by the pandemic. OOC borrowed $500,000 from the COIDA to establish a loan fund. The maximum loan was $10,000 with no interest for six months. Borrowers, after six months, could elect to roll the loan for an additional 24 months at 3%. During 2020, 44 loans were funded in the amount of $381,800. Borrowers were geographically disbursed, being located in 19 towns, villages and cities. The COVID-19 Emergency Relief Program was extended for 2021.
  • Oswego County Micro-Enterprise Program provided instruction designed to assist entrepreneurs starting and/or expanding a business. The program is sponsored by the Fulton CDA, Oswego CEDO, OOC and SUNY Oswego’s Business Resource Center in partnership with the SBDC. In 2020, two training classes were held, one in-person and one online, with 18 graduates.

Treadwell also outlined select future projects and initiatives in progress including 17 projects slated to be developed through the Fulton Downtown Revitalization Initiative, potential funding opportunities in Round 11 CFA funding with the CNY REDC, the 2021 Next Great Idea Business Plan Competition which will award three prizes to the winners this Fall, the development of the COIDA Manufacturing Start-up Facility at the former Nestle site in the City of Fulton, and the acquisition of approximately 200 acres to expand the Oswego County Industrial Park in the Town of Schroeppel.

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.

2021 Ally Award — Pictured are, from left, L. Michael Treadwell, OOC executive director, Karen Goetz, Richard S. Shineman Foundation executive director, and Ellen Holst, OOC board president.

The Ally Award for 2021 was presented to the Richard S. Shineman Foundation in recognition and appreciation of the vision, commitment and leadership demonstrated to support countless not for profit initiatives to improve quality of life and economic vitality across Oswego County; for providing 291 grants totaling over $9.4 million to 180 organizations and programs, such as the Next Great Idea Oswego County Business Plan Competition, the Oswego Renaissance Association, Fulton Block Builders, and the ACT Work Ready Community Workforce Development Initiative, since inception; for providing professional training programs and other resources to make Oswego County organizations more sustainable; and for being a vital and essential partner in economic development in Oswego County, NY.

2021 Business Excellence Award — Pictured are, from left, Ellen Holst, OOC board president, Peter Wiltsie, Wiltsie Construction Company president, and L. Michael Treadwell, OOC executive director.

The Business Excellence Award for 2021 was presented to Wiltsie Construction Company in recognition and appreciation for demonstrating outstanding leadership, adaptation and commitment in operating and expanding Wiltsie Construction in Oswego, NY, for over 50 years; for servicing the nuclear energy sector and other industries in the Oswego County region; for employing 30 highly skilled persons and hiring local tradespersons as needed; for contributing to many community events and charities including Oswego Harborfest, the United Way of Oswego County, the Oswego County Humane Society and the Greater Oswego-Fulton Chamber of Commerce.

2021 Jobs Award — Pictured are, from left, L. Michael Treadwell, OOC executive director, Ellen Holst, OOC board president, Tricia Peter-Clark, ConnextCare president and CEO, and Stephanie Earle, ConnextCare director of human resources.

The 2021 Jobs Award was presented to ConnextCare in recognition and appreciation of the significant contribution and impact of ConnextCare’s over 250 jobs and over $14.4 million in payroll on the Oswego County Economy; for providing over 50 years of critical healthcare services across rural Oswego County; for operating 13 locations across Oswego County and continuing to expand services to communities of need; and for being an integral part of Oswego County’s and Central New York’s healthcare industry.

2021 Dee Heckethorn Award — Pictured are, from left, Ellen Holst, OOC board president, Rebekah Alford, owner and chef at Rainbow Shores & Mill House Market Deli & Bakery, and L. Michael Treadwell, OOC executive director.

Rebekah Alford received OOC’s 2021 Dee Heckethorn Entrepreneur Award in recognition and appreciation of exceptional entrepreneurial spirit, creativity, and dedication to improving the quality of life in the Pulaski, NY, area; for the acquisition and expansion of the Rainbow Shores restaurant on Lake Ontario in 2010; for the development of the Mill House Market Deli and Bakery in Pulaski in 2017; for over 10 years working to the improve the growing tourism industry in the Lake Ontario and Salmon River regions of Oswego County, NY.

2021 Martin Rose Award — Pictured are, from left, Ellen Holst, OOC board president, William “Billy” Barlow, city of Oswego mayor, and L. Michael Treadwell, OOC executive director.

Mayor William Barlow was honored with the 2021 Martin Rose Economic Developer Merit Award in recognition and appreciation of his outstanding leadership and collaboration in economic development,  thus improving the business climate and quality of life in Oswego, NY, and Oswego County; for his innovative service as mayor of the City of Oswego; for his commitment to downtown revitalization, neighborhood restoration and brownfield site rehabilitation; for the expansion of tourism and recreation through the restoration of Wright’s Landing and the Cahill Pier, development of the Harbor Trail, and regeneration of city parks; for fostering business attraction, expansion and retention in the City of Oswego; and, for securing over $40 million in economic development and infrastructure grants for the betterment of the Oswego community.

The OOC board of directors re-elected board members Brian Anderson, National Grid; Ed Gilson, Blake Equipment; Ellen Holst, retired, Oswego County Opportunities; Vincent Lobdell, HealthWay Home Products; John Sharkey, IV, Universal Metal Works; Joseph Solazzo, Laborers Local 633; Ronald G. Tascarella, Pathfinder Bank; and David Turner, Oswego County Department of Development, Tourism and Planning.

The OOC board of directors also elected Abby Weaver, the Alberts Group, for a one-year term to fill a vacancy.

A partial slate of officers was also elected including Tricia Peter-Clark, ConnextCare, as treasurer; and Peter Cullinan, Exelon, as secretary.

For more information about economic development services in Oswego County, call OOC at 343-1545 or visit www.oswegocounty.org.

Please Note:  The Operation Oswego County Offices remain closed to visitors. However, our vestibule is open with a service window for the convenience of our clients.  Entrance to the main office is by appointment only and is limited to one to two people at a time.  Please wear your mask when entering the vestibule and building.