Labrador Lumber upgrades infrastructure with NYSEG grant

BERKSHIRE — Labrador Lumber Company, Inc. — based in the town of Berkshire in Tioga County — has received a $57,667 Agriculture Capital Investment Incentive Program Grant from New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) to help upgrade its electrical infrastructure and add new jobs, NYSEG announced. The upgrades will support economic growth in Tioga County by providing jobs and expanding local business operations. “We understand the importance of investing in the communities in which our employees live and work,” NYSEG Manager of Economic Development Joe Sayre said in a news release. “By supporting Labrador Lumber, we’re contributing to the community development and economic prosperity.” With the electrical infrastructure upgrades, Labrador Lumber will increase its load capacity, allowing the business to revitalize a vacant industrial sawmill site and add finished milling to its operation. The grant-funded project will retain four jobs at Labrador Lumber and create 3-5 new jobs. “NYSEG made the growth and expansion of our business possible,” Labrador Lumber co-owner Shannon Etienne said. “Their involvement in the community through this grant is truly remarkable.” Labrador Lumber is a provider of wood products for log homes. It supplies wood products made with sustainable practices by using every part of the raw log with no waste. Customers include log homebuyers, builders, general contractors, and do-it-yourselfers. “We are happy to see NYSEG investing in Tioga County,” Martha Sauerbrey, Tioga County Legislature Chairwoman, said in the release. “Supporting local businesses in our community promotes a stronger and healthier economy.” Through the Agriculture Capital Investment Incentive Program, NYSEG provides agricultural businesses with financial support toward electric-related infrastructure improvements on company-owned or customer-owned equipment up to $100,000. In many instances, the goal of the program is to help the agricultural industry by converting single-phase to three-phase power to grow businesses and install new technology. New York State Electric & Gas Corporation is a subsidiary of Avangrid, Inc., an Orange, Connecticut–based sustainable-energy company. NYSEG operates about 35,000 miles of electric distribution lines and 4,500 miles of electric transmission lines across more than 40 percent of upstate New York. It also operates 8,150 miles of natural gas distribution pipelines and 20 miles of gas transmission pipelines. It serves 894,000 electricity customers and 266,000 natural gas customers.