Event included project review, awards, board elections                                                                                                              

OSWEGO, N.Y. — A review of 2023 projects, award announcements, and the election of a new board president highlighted the 72nd annual meeting of Operation Oswego County (OOC) held June 13 at the Lake Ontario Event and Conference Center in Oswego.

OOC and the County of Oswego IDA (COIDA) in 2023 assisted on projects that resulted in the creation or retention of 630 jobs with more than $130 million in capital investment.

The projects were associated with 33 new, expanded, or retained facilities in the targeted industry clusters of manufacturing, health care, tourism and hospitality, agribusiness and energy, OOC said in its June 13 announcement.

Austin Wheelock, executive director of OOC, reported the data during the annual meeting, noting that the projects were spread over 16 municipalities around Oswego County.

Ellen Holst, president of the OOC board of directors, welcomed 170 representatives of businesses, government, education, labor, and other community organizations to the meeting.

The OOC also announced that its board of directors elected Pete Cullinan, who is retired from Exelon, to succeed Holst as the board president, although Holst was also re-elected to serve as a board member.

In his remarks, Wheelock reported on marketing highlights and collaborative initiatives with key stakeholders such as National Grid, Oswego County Tourism, SUNY Oswego, the Port of Oswego Authority, Oswego County Workforce New York, and the Greater Oswego Fulton Chamber of Commerce.

Joseph Pacher, senior VP of operations at Constellation Energy, was the annual meeting’s keynote speaker. In his remarks, Pacher discussed Constellation’s economic impact on Oswego County, how its plants help New York state to meet its clean-energy goals, and the firm’s plans to continue to invest in and relicense Nine Mile I, Nine Mile II, and the James A. FitzPatrick nuclear plants.

Collectively these plants produce 2,514 megawatts of power, which is enough to power 2 million homes, per the OOC announcement. Pacher also reported that Constellation paid more than $69 million in state and local taxes in 2023.

Awards

The annual meeting also included the announcement of several awards, including the Ally Award for 2024, which was presented to the Onondaga Small Business Development Center (SBDC) “in recognition and appreciation of the vision, commitment and leadership exhibited by the Onondaga [SBDC] to provide critical entrepreneurial training and technical assistance to the small businesses and entrepreneurs of Oswego County; and for being a vital and essential partner in economic development in Oswego County,” per the announcement.

OOC gave the Business Excellence Award for 2024 to River View Pediatrics for “showing resiliency, adaptation and growth” in a changing market for pediatric health-care services, for the “vision to revitalize and expand” into a vacant building, and for its more than 40 years of business excellence in the city of Fulton.

In addition, OOC presented the 2024 Jobs Award to Broadwell Hospitality Group for its significant contribution and economic impact on the Oswego County economy by providing tourism attractions and hospitality services in Oswego and the town of Scriba, for employing over 200 persons across multiple venues, for the opening of the Splash Indoor Water Park Resort in 2023, and for its 49-year history of business growth in Oswego County.

Dr. Ali Hawthorn received OOC’s 2024 Dee Heckethorn Entrepreneur Award in recognition of “exceptional entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and dedication” in expanding Highland Animal Hospital, a small animal-veterinary clinic in Central Square, and for receiving the SBA Woman Owned Small Business of the Year Award for Upstate New York.

OOC honored H. Leonard Schick with the 2024 Martin Rose Economic Developer Merit Award for his “outstanding record” of leadership, expertise, support, and commitment to enhance the economic vitality of Oswego County’s businesses, industries, communities, and citizens; by serving on the board of directors of COIDA for 18 years; and for serving on numerous other boards and organizations that are “vital to economic development and quality of life” such as the Mexico Chamber of Commerce, Fulton City School Board of Education, and Fulton Youth Soccer.

OOC board of directors

The OOC board elected a new slate of officers to two-year terms. Besides Cullinan as president, the officers include John Sharkey IV from Universal Metal Works of Fulton as board VP; Tricia Peter Clark, president and CEO of ConnextCare, as board treasurer, and Eric Behling, co-owner of Behling Orchards in Mexico, as board secretary.

The OOC board of directors also reelected board members, including Edward Gilson, a county legislator; Brian Heffron of CiTi BOCES; Holst, who is retired from Oswego County Opportunities; Sharkey IV; and Ronald Tascarella of Pathfinder Bank.

The board also elected Joseph Demars of Huhtamaki’s Fulton location and Collin Palm of the Fulton Companies for one-year terms; as well as Tom Roman of Fulton Savings Bank, Rachel Pierce of the Workforce Development Board of Oswego County, and Ryan Malone of WD Malone Trucking & Excavating for three-year terms.

Those retiring from the OOC board of directors include Tim Hardy after six years of service; Vincent Lobdell after 17 years; Joseph McConnell after four years of service; Joseph Solazzo after 18 years; and David Turner after 29 years of service, the organization said.