Low-Cost
Power Spurs Job Growth in Rome, Onondaga County
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Michael Saltzman
914-390-8181
michael.saltzman@nypa.gov
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June 24, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HOLTSVILLE—New York Power Authority trustees
Tuesday approved three allocations of low-cost Economic Development
Power to Central New York companies that will create 500 new jobs at the
Industrial Park at the former Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome and add 200
new jobs in the Onondaga County communities of Cicero and Warners.
“This is great news for Central New York. Two
thriving companies will grow and add substantially to their payrolls and
a major company providing aircraft maintenance, repairs and overhauls
for commercial airlines and corporate aircraft will create 500 jobs at
the old Griffis Air Base,” said Louis P. Ciminelli, chairman of the
Power Authority. “The project in Rome and the expansion projects at ICM
Controls and Sysco Foods are great opportunities for NYPA to help
Governor Pataki’s job-growth activities in Central New York.”
Power Authority trustees, meeting at the Richard M.
Flynn Power Plant here, approved an allocation of 2,000 kilowatts (kw)
to the Griffiss Local Development Corporation (GLDC), which will provide
the power to Commodore Aviation, Inc., a company currently located
out-of-state, but planning a move to Rome. With the move, it will change
its name to Empire Air Center.
“This power allocation is just one piece of New
York State’s significant commitment to secure Empire Air Center as an
anchor aviation tenant at Griffiss Business and Technology Park. We
thank Governor Pataki for his continued great support for Griffiss
Park’s development as a job center, and the Power Authority for its
support of employment growth in the Mohawk Valley. Thanks to the
partnership which brought the company here, Empire Air Center will
provide job opportunities to Mohawk Valley residents for many years to
come,” said Steven J. DiMeo, President of Mohawk Valley EDGE and
Griffiss Local Development Corporation.
The trustees also approved a 500-kw allocation to
ICM Controls Corp. of Cicero and 400 kw for Sysco Food Services Corp. of
Warners.
ICM Controls manufactures electronic controls used
in heating, ventilating and air conditioning applications around the
world. Located in Cicero, the company has grown from 15 employees in
1984 to 200 at the present time. The company is looking to expand into
larger quarters and anticipates creating an additional 100 jobs in
exchange for its EDP allocation.
“I’m very confident that with a guarantee of
lower-cost electricity from the Power Authority, we now have all the
pieces lined up to make a decision to build our new factory in Central
New York,” said Bob Poresky, project manager for ICM Controls.
Sysco Food Services distributes food service
products from its facility in Warners. It is currently undergoing the
third phase of an expansion that will increase its present work force of
500 to 600. Two earlier phases of its expansion included allocations of
400 kw and 500 kw. Tuesday’s actions bring Sysco’s total allocation to
1,300 kw.
“Lower-cost electricity from NYPA has been an
essential component in the first two phases of our expansion process,”
said Nick Romano, Director of Human Resources for Sysco Food Services of
Syracuse, LLC. “We want to thank the New York Power Authority for their
continued investment in our progress."
The GLDC is a not for profit corporation that was
established to redevelop the former Air Force base—now know as the Griffiss Business and Technology Park—and to promote economic
development and job-retention to non-governmental tenants that have
located or are planning to locate at the facility.
The 10-year allocation to Commodore Aviation is
supported by the Oneida County Industrial Development Agency. The power
is limited to private sector usage and is specifically barred from use
by federal or local government agencies.
Allocations to ICM Controls and Sysco Food Services
are each for a ten-year period and are supported by the Onondaga County
Office of Economic Development and the Metropolitan Development
Association of Syracuse and Central New York, Inc.
All three allocations were recommended for approval
by the New York State Economic Development Power Allocation Board. |