U.S. congressman on business hunt in Cornwall
CORNWALL, Ontario
Bill Kingston
8/20/2012
There' s an appetite for Cornwall businesses to expand into Northern New York State. Massena-area congressman Bill Owens came away with that assessment after a one hour meeting with the leaders of several local companies at the Best Western Parkway Inn and Conference Center. The private meeting included representatives from Seaway Yarns, Cornwall Speedway, Ridgewood Industries, Best Western, Dynamic Closures, RE/MAX Cornwall and NuMED as well as provincial, federal and Akwesasne politicians. Owens says he's been on these business recruitment missions for over 30 years - long before he was a Democratic congressman. Owens tells TheCornwallDaily.com he would like to see a protocol established for cross-border business expansion. (Play Audio) Owens also believes red tape, such as paperwork and documentation, is gumming up the process. And despite the different economies, Owens says a Cornwall business expanding into New York would be looking to tap into the market size. "In the years that I've been doing this the issue for Canadian business simply been market size. If you look at Canada, you are looking at about 35 million people stretched over a 3,000 mile border living about 100 miles deep I would say. Whereas, on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States you have 25-50 million people probably within a day's truck drive of Northern New York so it's an opportunity to expand your market," Owens said. The congressman concedes there is always risk associated with business expansion. Owens held a similar meeting in Montreal a couple of months ago and he says the issues seem to be "repetitive." Owens is hoping to hear from business leaders in the future about cross-border opportunities that are not being addressed.
Rob Ariagno is the Vice President of Sales for Seaway Yarns. The company makes specialty yarns for the military, automotive, aerospace and firefighting industries to name a few. Ariagno is a bit skeptical when government is involved because nothing happens quickly. But he says being heard is a "huge positive." Ariagno says trade barriers such as the Buy America Act won't be changing any time soon. He tells TheCornwallDaily.com 70 per cent of their business is with American customers and expanding south of the border could protect the Cornwall operation. (Play Audio 2) Ariagno is steadfast on growing and protecting the Cornwall operation though. "Cornwall's home. This is our headquarters. I live here; my family lives here, everything."
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