Berkshire Hills Bancorp announces CFO changeup

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Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: BHLB), parent of Berkshire Bank, recently announced the departure of R. David Rosato as chief financial officer (CFO) and the appointment of Brett Brbovic, currently chief accounting officer, to the CFO role effective June 14. Rosato joined Berkshire in February 2023 after working for 15 years at People’s United Financial, […]

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Rosato joined Berkshire in February 2023 after working for 15 years at People’s United Financial, Inc., including eight years as CFO there. He is stepping down to pursue other interests, but will stay on at Berkshire through June 14 as responsibilities transition to Brbovic.

“We’re grateful for the contributions that David has made in his service as CFO, and we wish him well in his future pursuits,” Berkshire CEO Nitin Mhatre said in a press release announcing the news. “[Rosato] has been instrumental in developing the bench strength for our finance group that has enabled us to transition to a new leadership team, including Brett, who will be assuming the CFO role.”

Brbovic joined Berkshire in 2012 from KPMG LLP and has served as chief accounting officer since 2015. He also served as interim CFO from Oct. 7, 2022, through Feb. 6, 2023.

“Brett is a 12-year Berkshire Bank veteran with a strong track record and deep institutional knowledge,” Mhatre said. “I’m confident in his ability to lead our finance team and build on the changes that David has implemented. Berkshire’s leadership is committed to maintaining recent momentum and our entire team is focused on the goal to be a high-performing, relationship-drive, community-focused bank.”

Boston–based Berkshire announced in March it would sell 10 branches in upstate and eastern New York, including the sale of its East Syracuse branch to Pathfinder Bank. Hudson Valley Credit Union is buying eight branches in Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, and Columbia counties while Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Company is purchasing the Whitehall branch.

Berkshire Bank has $12.1 billion in assets and 96 branches across New York state and New England.

SU plans new Center for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Education & Training, Manufacturing & Engineering, Subscriber Only, Technology

SYRACUSE — The technology behind modern semiconductor manufacturing is among the most intricate and sophisticated on the planet. That’s how Gretchen Ritter, vice chancellor and provost, at Syracuse University (SU) opened her remarks on May 16 as SU announced plans to launch its Center for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing. SU plans to spend $10 million to

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SYRACUSE — The technology behind modern semiconductor manufacturing is among the most intricate and sophisticated on the planet.

That’s how Gretchen Ritter, vice chancellor and provost, at Syracuse University (SU) opened her remarks on May 16 as SU announced plans to launch its Center for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing.

SU plans to spend $10 million to help pay for the center, and Onondaga County will also provide a $10 million grant.

“It’s awe inspiring. It’s captivating,” Ritter said in reference to the technology. “And thanks to this investment by Onondaga County, we have an opportunity to open exciting, fulfilling, and well-paid jobs in advanced manufacturing to generations of Syracuse students.”

Ritter went on to say that the Center for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing will “demystify” careers in chip manufacturing for the Syracuse community and “inspire students of all ages to join this rewarding field.”

“Embracing these students is critical, given the palpable regional and national need for a far more robust and diverse STEM workforce,” Ritter said in her remarks. “These students will build today’s chips and design the next generation that will maintain U.S. leadership in semiconductors for decades to come.”

STEM is short for science, technology, engineering, mathematics.

It’s described as a center that will bring together expertise in artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, manufacturing processes, optimization, and robotics to “advance the science of semiconductor manufacturing,” per the university.

Syracuse University (SU) Chancellor Kent Syverud on May 16 addressed the gathering at SU’s National Veterans Resource Center announcing the upcoming Center for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing.
ERIC REINHARDT / CNYBJ

“The state-of-the-art teaching and research facility we’re building as part of this will replicate an autonomous advanced-manufacturing floor; will enable research and design,” Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud said in his remarks. “The center will provide the very definition of hands-on learning and training that students need to meet the needs and meet the moment.”

Officials announced details of the new Center for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing in an event at the National Veterans Resource Center at 101 Waverly Ave. on the SU campus.

“To support that work, we are going to be hiring many new faculty scholars over the next five years, and, in particular, we expect to grow our student enrollment in the College of Engineering and Computer Science by 50 percent in the next four years,” Syverud said. “And that’s to keep up with the market demands created by Micron and the burgeoning U.S. chips industry. We will be especially focused on recruiting from area high schools, including the new STEAM high school that has had such hard work behind it.”

Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) plans to invest up to $100 billion over the next 20-plus years on a semiconductor manufacturing campus at the White Pine Commerce Park in the town of Clay.

The Center for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing is part of a more than $100 million investment in “strategically transforming” STEM and expanding SU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) over the next five years, the university noted.

SU will house the center in its Center of Science and Technology, and it will be situated within ECS. Syracuse University believes the new center will position it and the CNY region as a global leader in research and education on the intelligent manufacturing of semiconductors.

Work on renovating existing space into the new facility is already underway, Syverud told reporters during the announcement event. The center should be completed in two years, Ritter told Syverud in response to a reporter’s question about the construction timeline.

“As we transition from an amazing site-selection process and an amazing planning process to executing, it is critical for us to meet the moment that you’ve heard from the vice chancellor and chancellor that we have all of the tools in the toolbox,” Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said in his remarks. “One of the major tools in recruiting Micron to get here was this facility and what this represents and what this represents specifically for veteran labor and that’s a critical tool.”

Jefferson County hotels see business gains in April

North Country, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

WATERTOWN — Jefferson County hotels registered a more than 1 percent rise in overnight guests in April, while another key business indicator posted a big increase. The hotel-occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the North Country’s largest county edged up 1.1 percent to 49.8 percent in the fourth month of

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Cornell University Martha Pollack retiring

Cornell prepares for leadership transition

Education & Training, Subscriber Only

ITHACA — Cornell University is preparing for a leadership transition with the upcoming retirement of school president Martha Pollack. Pollack, who has served for more than seven years as the university’s 14th president, will retire on June 30. Cornell University Provost Michael Kotlikoff has been selected as interim president, effective July 1, according to a

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ITHACA — Cornell University is preparing for a leadership transition with the upcoming retirement of school president Martha Pollack.

Pollack, who has served for more than seven years as the university’s 14th president, will retire on June 30.

Cornell University Provost Michael Kotlikoff has been selected as interim president, effective July 1, according to a May 9 announcement on the Cornell Chronicle website. At that time, the school’s board of trustees will give Pollack the title of president emerita “in recognition of her contributions and legacy.”

At the request of the board of trustees, Kotlikoff will serve a two-year term as interim president. The board will then form a search committee to select Cornell’s 15th president, about six to nine months before Kotlikoff’s term ends.

In addition to his nine years as provost, Kotlikoff previously served as acting president, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences and professor of molecular biology, per Cornell’s announcement.

“Serving as the president of Cornell has been an amazing privilege; there are few roles that afford so much opportunity to make a positive difference in the world,” Pollack said in the announcement. “After seven fruitful and gratifying years as Cornell’s president — capping a career in research and academia spanning five decades — I’m ready for a new chapter in my life. I greatly appreciate the continued support of our Board of Trustees and the many faculty, students, staff and alumni who have shared words of encouragement through my time as president, especially over the past academic year.”

Pollack — a professor of computer science, information science and linguistics — is an expert in artificial intelligence, the university says. Formerly provost and executive VP for academic affairs of the University of Michigan, she succeeded the late Elizabeth Garrett as Cornell’s president in 2017.

Pollack tenure

Under Pollack’s leadership, the university created the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, named the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science and the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration, launched new programs in areas ranging from sustainability and digital agriculture to artificial intelligence and design and technology, and expanded external research expenditures by nearly
50 percent. She also oversaw upgrades to academic facilities, including the ongoing construction of a new building for Cornell Bowers CIS and the multidisciplinary Atkinson Hall.

Over the course of her tenure, Cornell says Pollack has “significantly expanded the accessibility and affordability” of a Cornell education, from increasing by 1,000 the number of undergraduates receiving grant-based financial aid to creating a debt-free education program at Weill Cornell Medicine, among other measures.

“President Pollack has been a transformational leader of Cornell, and her positive impact on our university will be felt for decades to come,” Kraig Kayser, chair of the Cornell University board of trustees, said in the announcement. “Beyond her achievements in academics, research and affordability, I and my fellow trustees deeply value her intelligence, integrity, candor and warmth, as well as her unwavering commitment to Cornell being a community of belonging.”

Cornell University, founded in 1865, is a privately endowed research university and a partner of the State University of New York. Cornell has more than 16,000 undergraduate students and 10,200 graduate and professional students, according to its website, citing Fall 2023 data. The university has nearly 3,000 faculty members and more than 11,300 total employees, as of Nov. 1, 2023 data.

New York manufacturing index dips, stays negative in May

Manufacturing & Engineering, Subscriber Only

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business-conditions index slipped slightly to -15.6 in May, pointing to further deterioration in manufacturing conditions in the state. The general business-conditions index is the monthly gauge on New York’s manufacturing sector. Based on firms responding to the survey, the May reading indicates business activity “continued to decline” in New

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The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business-conditions index slipped slightly to -15.6 in May, pointing to further deterioration in manufacturing conditions in the state.

The general business-conditions index is the monthly gauge on New York’s manufacturing sector.

Based on firms responding to the survey, the May reading indicates business activity “continued to decline” in New York state, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in its May 15 report.

A negative reading on the index indicates a decline in the sector, while a positive index number shows expansion or growth in manufacturing activity.

The survey found “new orders declined significantly, while shipments held steady,” the New York Fed said.

It also found optimism on the six-month outlook “remained subdued.”

Survey details

The new-orders index was unchanged at -16.5, pointing to an “ongoing significant decline” in orders, while the shipments index climbed to -1.2, suggesting that shipments “held steady,” the New York Fed said.

Unfilled orders continued to fall modestly. The inventories index came in at 2.0, indicating that inventories were steady, and the delivery-times index inched down to -9.1, suggesting that delivery times shortened.

The index for number of employees came in at -6.4, and the average-workweek index moved up to -5.8, pointing to an “ongoing decline” in employment levels and hours worked.

The prices-paid index retreated 5 points to 28.3, and the prices-received index declined 3 points to 14.1, indicating that price increases moderated slightly.

Optimism about the outlook “remained subdued.” The index for future business conditions dipped
5 points to 16.7, with only 37 percent of respondents expecting conditions to improve in the next six months. The outlook for employment growth “weakened noticeably.”

The capital-spending index fell to 6.7, suggesting that capital-spending plans “remained soft.”

The New York Fed distributes the Empire State Manufacturing Survey on the first day of each month to the same pool of about 200 manufacturing executives in New York. On average, about 100 executives return responses.

NYS awards more than $3 million in Conservation Partnership Program grants

News

ALBANY — New York State has awarded more than $3 million for 64 projects that will protect water quality, prevent farmland conversion, boost public access

Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties announces grants

Nonprofits, Mohawk Valley, Subscriber Only

UTICA — The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties recently announced it awarded more than $2 million in grants during the first quarter to organizations and initiatives across the Mohawk Valley region. The foundation in February invited nonprofits in Herkimer and Oneida counties to apply for its Education, Health, and Sciences Grant Round, with

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The foundation in February invited nonprofits in Herkimer and Oneida counties to apply for its Education, Health, and Sciences Grant Round, with eight organizations receiving more than $87,000 in funding. The recipients are: Clinton Central School District Foundation, Masonic Medical Research Institute, Poland District Public Library, Project Fibonacci Foundation, Rescue Mission of Utica, Thea Bowman House, Upstate Caring Partners, and Utica Rehabilitation and Integrative Services for Everyone.

The Community Foundation’s donor-advised funds awarded 51 grants totaling nearly $500,000 during the quarter to the following nonprofits: Abraham House, Alzheimer’s Association – CNY Chapter, Anita’s Stevens Swan Humane Society, Artis-Naples, Camp Kesem, Catholic Near East Welfare Association, CB Avalanche Center, Cedar Lake United Methodist Church, Center for Constitutional Rights, Charles T. Sitrin Health Care Center, Cornell University Lab of Ornithology, Emmanuel Evangelica Lutheran Church, Fountain House, Friends of Notre-Dame De Paris, Fulton Chain of Lakes Performing Arts Council, Gingerbread House Preschool and Child Care Center, Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood, GreenUtica, and Gunnison Trails.

Additional recipients include: Herkimer College, Humane Society of Rome, Landmarks Society of Greater Utica, Lewis County Humane Society, Mohawk Valley Health System Foundation, Munson, New York State Animal Protection Federation Education Fund, Old Forge Volunteer Ambulance Corp, Oneida County History Center, Oswego College Foundation, Temple Beth El, The Everglades Foundation, The Gesu School, Thea Bowman House, Town of Webb Historical Association, Trinity by the Cove Episcopal Church, UNRWA USA, USA East Province of the Society of Jesus, Utica Children’s Museum, Utica University, View, Wanderers’ Rest Humane Association, and Waterville Central School District Foundation.

Grants are made possible through donors and organizations that create funds at the foundation.

A number of new funds were recently created including the DiMeo Family Fund, ECR International – Utica Division Scholarship Fund, Midtown Utica Community Center Fund, Olmsted City of Greater Utica Fund, Project Fibonacci Fund, and the Robert and Lynn Angelicola Family Fund.

Kraft Heinz plant in Lowville to use federal grant to cut emissions

Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Manufacturing & Engineering, North Country, Subscriber Only

LOWVILLE — The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ: KHC) plant in Lowville plans to upgrade, electrify, and decarbonize its heating process to significantly cut carbon-dioxide emissions. It’ll use an estimated $22 million federal grant award to help pay for the effort. The Lowville facility in Lewis County is among 10 Kraft Heinz sites across the country

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LOWVILLE — The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ: KHC) plant in Lowville plans to upgrade, electrify, and decarbonize its heating process to significantly cut carbon-dioxide emissions.

It’ll use an estimated $22 million federal grant award to help pay for the effort.

The Lowville facility in Lewis County is among 10 Kraft Heinz sites across the country that will use a total of nearly $171 million for similar work, the office of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) announced on March 25.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Industrial Demonstrations Program is awarding the money, Schumer’s office said. Kraft Heinz Company is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

“At Kraft Heinz, we’re on a journey to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,” Pedro Navio, president of North America at Kraft Heinz, said in the Schumer announcement. “This investment from the U.S. Department of Energy will give us critical resources to make cutting-edge technology improvements in our plants, including our facility in Lowville. Not only will these funds help us lower emissions, they will create local jobs, improve training for our current and future workforce, and better the communities we serve. We’d like to thank Senator Schumer for his leadership and support over the years.”

Kraft Heinz’s “Delicious Decarbonization Through Integrated Electrification and Energy Storage Project” specifically aims to upgrade, electrify, and decarbonize its process heat at 10 facilities by applying a range of technologies including heat pumps, electric heaters, and electric boilers in combination with sustainable-fuel boilers, solar thermal, solar panels, and thermal-energy storage.

Schumer said the funding comes from the Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. It seeks to help accelerate the North Country plant’s adoption of clean energy to lower greenhouse-gas emissions, while “creating good-paying construction jobs to strengthen the plant boosting the local economy and environment.”

“This is a major win for Lewis County and our Upstate NY’s dairy industry. Lowville’s Kraft Heinz plant has long been the cream of the crop and now the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law and Inflation Reduction Act will help power their transition to clean energy, making sure the North Country facility will have the modern upgrades it needs to remain the ‘big cheese,’ all while creating good paying jobs and fighting climate change,” Schumer said.

Implementing the technologies at each facility is expected to reduce annual emissions by more than 300,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, translating to a 99 percent reduction from 2022 levels for Kraft Heinz, “all while helping create hundreds of good paying construction jobs.”

The Lowville Kraft Heinz plant will use the funding to replace aging gas and other high carbon-emitting technologies with “more energy efficient and environmentally friendly alternatives,” such as heat pumps, electric heaters, and electric boilers.

In addition to the Lowville plant, Kraft Heinz will also boost its decarbonization efforts in Champaign, Illinois; Columbia, Missouri; Fremont, Ohio; Holland, Michigan; Kendallville, Indiana; New Ulm, Minnesota; Muscatine, Iowa; Mason City, Iowa; and Winchester, Virginia, Schumer’s office said.

Nappi Wellness Institute at Upstate University Hospital

Upstate’s Nappi Wellness Institute earns LEED Gold status

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Health Care, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded the Nappi Wellness Institute, which is part of Upstate Medical University, a LEED Gold designation. It’s the second-highest national rating for green buildings, the health system announced on April 3. LEED, which is short for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the most widely used

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SYRACUSE — The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded the Nappi Wellness Institute, which is part of Upstate Medical University, a LEED Gold designation.

It’s the second-highest national rating for green buildings, the health system announced on April 3.

LEED, which is short for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the most widely used green-building rating system in the world. Nappi earned 64 points to secure the Gold designation.

The Nappi Wellness Institute — which opened June 2, 2023 — is located at 725 E. Adams St., across from the Upstate Cancer Center. It’s a five-story, 209,615-square-foot building that is home to many of Upstate’s ambulatory services.

The institute earned a Gold certification last month by adhering to prerequisites and credits during design and construction. They address carbon, energy, water, waste, transportation, materials, health, and indoor environmental quality, Upstate Medical University said.

Projects go through a verification and review process and are then awarded points that correspond to a level of LEED certification.

“We are pleased that we achieved the Gold certification because it demonstrates the commitment of SUNY as well as the University to sustainability and constructing green buildings,” Douglas Joseph, interim assistant VP for facilities, said in the Upstate announcement.

Upstate cites officials who say LEED provides a framework for healthy, efficient, and cost-saving green buildings and LEED-certified buildings are critical to addressing climate change. The health system added that LEED “looks at the big picture,” factoring in all critical elements that work together to create the best building possible. The goal of LEED is to create better buildings that reduce contribution to global climate change, enhance individual human health, protect and restore water resources, protect and enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services, promote sustainable and regenerative material cycles, and enhance community quality of life.

Building features

The Nappi Wellness Institute building has more than 26 features that helped earn the certification, ranging from air-quality control to sourcing local construction materials to installing bicycle storage and showers for staff. The building scored points for using low-emitting materials including sealants, paints, flooring materials and composites, using green and recycled materials, LED lighting with automated controls, and indoor air-quality management. The facility is a smoke-free building that also features low water consumption plumbing fixtures and green cleaning practices.

One of the sustainable practices “noticeable to patients at Nappi” is daylight harvesting, which according to Tim O’Hara, Upstate’s director of physical plant, automatically adjusts the indoor lighting based on exterior light entering the building.

All of Nappi’s waiting room areas were built along exterior walls, where they’re “bathed in natural light.” Automated shades also help to reduce the building’s heating and cooling loads, Upstate said.

“We’re not using extra energy by having the lights super bright all the time, and using that exterior light to our benefit,” O’Hara said in the announcement. “With all the public spaces on the exterior, it really gives that natural light aspect to the building, which I think for patients it makes it a lot more pleasant and enjoyable than being boxed in when you’re waiting.”

Both Joseph and O’Hara said Upstate plans to keep up the standards for the Gold certification going forward.

National Grid to spend $4B on Upstate Upgrade to improve grid resilience

Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Subscriber Only

National Grid (NYSE: NGG) on March 20 announced it plans to invest more than $4 billion to “transform its energy delivery system and propel economic growth across Upstate New York.” Referred to as the Upstate Upgrade, National Grid describes it as a “collection of transmission-enhancement projects [that] will deliver a smarter, stronger, cleaner energy grid

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National Grid (NYSE: NGG) on March 20 announced it plans to invest more than $4 billion to “transform its energy delivery system and propel economic growth across Upstate New York.”

Referred to as the Upstate Upgrade, National Grid describes it as a “collection of transmission-enhancement projects [that] will deliver a smarter, stronger, cleaner energy grid to support a more resilient energy network for generations to come.”

The company says it’s embarking on more than 70 projects through 2030 that will “generate thousands of new jobs” and more than $1 billion in additional economic growth, while “ensuring the energy grid is able to meet customers’ growing demand for electricity.”

“The Upstate Upgrade represents a landmark investment and speaks to how National Grid is reinforcing the grid to meet our customers’ growing energy needs while leading the clean energy transition,” Rudy Wynter, president of National Grid New York, said in the announcement. “This six-year portfolio of work will transform the grid, improve reliability and resilience and enable us to deliver renewable energy to homes and businesses across New York.”

The effort seeks to help reach the state’s climate goals as outlined in New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, National Grid said and make the grid more resilient during extreme-weather events such as blizzards, tornadoes, and severe windstorms.

“Recent economic development announcements in the Syracuse region and across Upstate demonstrate that the reliability of New York’s electric grid and the availability of abundant, clean energy is a competitive advantage, nationally and globally,” Robert Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO, said in the National Grid announcement. “The Upstate Upgrade will support New York’s increasing demand for electricity and encourage further investment and growth with a more efficient and resilient grid. With billions of dollars in new investment, and thousands of jobs generated directly and indirectly from National Grid’s efforts, the Upstate Upgrade will help our businesses thrive and communities prosper.”

Crews will work on reinforcing and upgrading infrastructure like transmission lines and substations, National Grid said.

The utility also believes the Upstate Upgrade will benefit local economies by bringing more than 1,700 new construction jobs and associated residual spending to local communities. The residual spending will create thousands of additional jobs, and at least $1.9 billion in overall economic output during and after construction, National Grid contends, citing a third-party analysis performed by the consultancy West Monroe.

The analysis also forecasts that Upstate Upgrade will create up to 2 percent economic growth in the project areas through 2030.

“We commend National Grid for their ambitious Upstate Upgrade initiative, a testament to their commitment to building a smarter, stronger, and cleaner energy grid for the Mohawk Valley and Upstate New York,” Nicholas Bruno, VP of business development at Mohawk Valley EDGE, said in the announcement. “These upgrades bolster our local economies by contributing to the Marcy Nanocenter’s prospective success, providing opportunities for additional industrial sites, creating new jobs, increasing property taxes, and ultimately contributing to a sustainable future aligned with New York’s CLCPA goals. By prioritizing economic development and community engagement, National Grid sets a commendable example of corporate responsibility and partnership that Mohawk Valley EDGE applauds, and we look forward to seeing the results of their efforts.”

Garry Douglas, president of the North Country Chamber of Commerce, added, “Ample and reliable power in the North Country has never been more important than it is now with the major transition to electric from other energy sources and with economic development opportunities increasingly needing larger scale power access. That’s why National Grid’s Upstate Upgrade is so welcome and important. It is a very timely and indisputably crucial investment in sustaining and growing our regional economy in the years ahead and we thank National Grid for this historic commitment.”

National Grid says it is the largest energy delivery company in upstate New York, serving electricity to 1.7 million electricity customers across 25,000 square miles.

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