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The Finger Lakes Economic Development Center has set a new record, according to CEO Steve Griffin. In their Oct. 19 meeting, the FLEDC board of directors approved seven new projects, including loans and leases that will bring between 150 to 250 jobs to Yates County.
With the mountains of damaged records from this year’s floods, Document Reprocessors, the Rushville based company which restores damaged materials for government agencies, libraries, and businesses, is in need of space to increase their operations, and the personnel to do the work. Document Reproccessors will be expanding into a building on Powell Lane in the Penn Yan Industrial Park off North Ave. FLEDC is working closely with New York’s Empire State Development and Excelsior Program, (the replacements of the Empire Zone Program which expired last year) to secure a capital grant for a “lease to own” arrangement to enlarge the company’s presence in Penn Yan. They already have a purchase agreement with Don Jensen for the former “In The Crease” building. With this expansion,
Document Reprocessors will add 50 to 100 employees to their roster in the first year alone. General Manager Quintin Schwartz said, “We are thrilled and honored to become part of the Penn Yan Community and to bring these jobs created as a result of hurricanes Irene and Lee. We are looking forward to this opportunity.” He added that they have already hired 60 new workers, many from Penn Yan, and are looking to hire as many as 150 more on all levels from customer service to restoration to general labor.
Dundee Foods
The Dundee Foods Building on Seneca St. in Dundee is the other site of new job growth. Mabrouka Properties II LLC has an option to purchase the facility from LiDestri Food and Beverage of Fairport. LiDestri has owned the Dundee Foods building for seven years, using it primarily for distribution since shutting down production recently. According to Griffin, once the $1.5 million deal is finally smoothed out, again with the support of Empire State Development and the Excelsior Program, Mobrouka will be adding improvements and equipment to the tune of $2.76 million making the facility ready for packaging Mabrouka’s line of Mediterranean food products. They will be hiring for 20 jobs in the first two years, and will hire a total of 40 within three years. The new operation will benefit from a 10-year tax abatement, which will reduce 10 points each year.
Church Creative Flooring
More good news came in the form of new tennants for the Seneca Building, the former home of Badger Technologies which recently consolidated operations at their Farmington facility. Church Creative Flooring will be moving out of the Lake Street Plaza and into 6000 square feet of the Seneca Building on a 10-year lease with two five-year renewal options. Using a $75,000 FLEDC loan to make improvements, Church’s will convert the space to accomodate both their retail and commercial business. This conversion and the removal of the chain link gate will begin the conversion of the Keuka Business Park to genuine mixed use.
The Finger Lakes Economic Development Center has set a new record, according to CEO Steve Griffin. In their Oct. 19 meeting, the FLEDC board of directors approved seven new projects, including loans and leases that will bring between 150 to 250 jobs to Yates County.
With the mountains of damaged records from this year’s floods, Document Reprocessors, the Rushville based company which restores damaged materials for government agencies, libraries, and businesses, is in need of space to increase their operations, and the personnel to do the work. Document Reproccessors will be expanding into a building on Powell Lane in the Penn Yan Industrial Park off North Ave. FLEDC is working closely with New York’s Empire State Development and Excelsior Program, (the replacements of the Empire Zone Program which expired last year) to secure a capital grant for a “lease to own” arrangement to enlarge the company’s presence in Penn Yan. They already have a purchase agreement with Don Jensen for the former “In The Crease” building. With this expansion,
Document Reprocessors will add 50 to 100 employees to their roster in the first year alone. General Manager Quintin Schwartz said, “We are thrilled and honored to become part of the Penn Yan Community and to bring these jobs created as a result of hurricanes Irene and Lee. We are looking forward to this opportunity.” He added that they have already hired 60 new workers, many from Penn Yan, and are looking to hire as many as 150 more on all levels from customer service to restoration to general labor.
Dundee Foods
The Dundee Foods Building on Seneca St. in Dundee is the other site of new job growth. Mabrouka Properties II LLC has an option to purchase the facility from LiDestri Food and Beverage of Fairport. LiDestri has owned the Dundee Foods building for seven years, using it primarily for distribution since shutting down production recently. According to Griffin, once the $1.5 million deal is finally smoothed out, again with the support of Empire State Development and the Excelsior Program, Mobrouka will be adding improvements and equipment to the tune of $2.76 million making the facility ready for packaging Mabrouka’s line of Mediterranean food products. They will be hiring for 20 jobs in the first two years, and will hire a total of 40 within three years. The new operation will benefit from a 10-year tax abatement, which will reduce 10 points each year.
Church Creative Flooring
More good news came in the form of new tennants for the Seneca Building, the former home of Badger Technologies which recently consolidated operations at their Farmington facility. Church Creative Flooring will be moving out of the Lake Street Plaza and into 6000 square feet of the Seneca Building on a 10-year lease with two five-year renewal options. Using a $75,000 FLEDC loan to make improvements, Church’s will convert the space to accomodate both their retail and commercial business. This conversion and the removal of the chain link gate will begin the conversion of the Keuka Business Park to genuine mixed use.
Lakeview Oraganic Grains
Lakeview Organic Grains will occupy 3200 square feet at the rear of the Seneca Building for organic seed cold storage on a one-year lease. Mary Howell-Martens said this is a rapidly growing part of their business, and voiced glowing praise for Griffin and Ryan Hallings of FLEDC for helping find new storage space so quickly when Lakeview was suddenly required to move out of the NYSEG building on Stiles Road. Griffin pointed out that between Church Creative Flooring and Lakeview, FLEDC is at 50 percent of the occupancy and rent they lost when Badger left, with the front office space and the expansive middle section still available.
Napa Auto Parts
Napa Auto Parts on Lake Street is planning on moving to 100 Main St. into the former Murphy and Bishop building beside the bridge. FLEDC approved a $60,000 loan application as part of their purchase. Once know as Geer’s Buick dealership, the much larger building and parking lots next to it and across Main St. will be a much beter fit for their business plan says Phil Volmer. He adds that the building and lots will be much improved in appearance once they take ownership. Cindy Volmer has already been looking at examples of how other Napa stores have fit into more historic areas. They plan to keep the Murphy & Bishop offices as leased space and perhaps convert the former beauty shop below it into an apartment. Both have excellent views of the Keuka Outlet. With the expansion, Griffin says that Napa will be hiring one or two new employees the first year with up to four more in the next three years.
Grants
The source of the loan capital comes from the $100,000 grant from the US Dept. of Agriculture for rural development. Griffin reports that all the loans are current. FLEDC was recently awarded a $1 million grant for the purpose of making loans to organic and viticultural ventures, though Griffin adds, “the real check hasn’t arrived to back up the giant novelty one we have in our window.” As ever, Griffin’s and Halling’s confidence and positive outlook for the future continue to remain a driving force in the Yates County economy.
