This story original appeared in the “Progress 2017” section of North Country This Week.

In 2016, the St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency (“IDA”) and its affiliated agencies and development partners provided assistance to a number of employers, communities and stakeholders throughout St. Lawrence County.

The IDA-Local Development Corporation approved various loans with the St. Lawrence River Valley Redevelopment Agency, including one to Swift Labs, LLC to renovate the former Lincoln Mercury dealership property in Massena. The proposed project will result in improvements to the mixed-use property, which include commercial space, the Clarkson University Hot Spot Incubator, a small scale eyeglass lens manufacturing lab and apartment rental space.

Financing was also provided to BlastBoss, Inc. to improve underutilized commercial property in Ogdensburg and install new bagging equipment to increase inventory and efficiencies for their recycled glass distribution business. The project is expected to maintain 5.5 jobs and create three new full time equivalent jobs. Additionally, Kingston Pharma received an equipment lease for the purchase of a Pasteurizer and Filler that will allow the company to produce pediatric electrolytes initially, and ultimately similar pharmaceutical products. The project is expected to retain 11 jobs and create five new full time equivalent jobs over the next three years.

Atlantic Testing Laboratories in Canton received financing assistance for the purchase of a Geoprobe Drilling Unit. The unit is anticipated to generate an additional $300,000-500,000 in revenue annually, while retaining 20 jobs and creating two new jobs.

The IDA assembled a loan package including funds of the IDA-Local Development Corporation, North Country Alliance and North Country Economic Development Fund for the Great American Grocery Store in Star Lake. This enabled Great American to acquire the formerly closed Padgett’s IGA and reopen it, providing a full service grocery store to that part of the County and employing at least 6.5 full-time equivalent employees.

St. Lawrence Soyway Company, LLC received authorization from the IDA for the issuance of Industrial Development Revenue Bonds to assist with constructing a 500 ton per day mechanical soybean crush plant in Massena. The plant will produce premium priced dairy feed (High Bypass Soymeal-HBPSM) and Feed Grade Crude Oil. These products are targeted to dairy, poultry, and hog nutrition in New York, New England and Southeastern Canada. The Company is expected to create 30 new jobs.

The IDA-Civic Development Corporation issued revenue bonds for St. Lawrence Health Systems, Inc. for the construction of a 60,000 square foot, three level medical services facility in Canton. The project is expected to create 39 jobs. Also, the IDA-CDC issued revenue bonds to St. Lawrence University to aid with the renovations of existing facilities and new equipment purchases on campus over the span of three years.

The IDA-CDC authorized a Civic Development Fund Loan to the Boys and Girls Club of Massena to serve as a bridge financing mechanism for grant awards the Club has received from other sources for acquiring, renovating, and equipping the Club’s new facility in Massena.

Eggleston Trucking in Hermon was approved for a loan through the IDA-Local Development Corporation to assist with improvements in their storage yard, replace an aging trailer, and provide working capital for business operations.

A Line-of-Credit was issued to Curran Renewable Energy, LLC through the SLCIDA-Local Development Corporation and the St. Lawrence River Valley Redevelopment Agency to assist the company with increasing inventory levels and to maintain production employment levels. The company also began leasing approximately 17,000 square feet of space in the Lot 18 building in the Massena Industrial Park on a month-to-month basis for product storage.

Phase 2 of the Newton Falls Rail Rehabilitation Project, connecting rail service from Newton Falls to the CSX rail line in Carthage, is underway. The project is on-schedule and expected to be operational later in 2017.

The St. Lawrence River Valley Redevelopment Agency’s Community Development and Environmental Improvement Program benefited a number of St. Lawrence County-based initiatives. 2016 Awards included: The Business Development Corporation of Massena’s Industrial Park Rail Access Project; a property investment collaboration with Clarkson University, St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce’s marketing initiative to promote the Adirondack Seaway Trails, Town of Louisville Community Center playground equipment upgrades, Town of Waddington renovations to the town hall, Village of Massena downtown revitalization fund, and Village of Potsdam’s renovations to the Cross-Town Canal.

For more information contact the St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency at 379-9806, or visit www.slcida.com.