BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

Story updated July 31 at 10:37 a.m.

MASSENA -- A Canadian fabric company with a pilot plant in Italy is one step closer to setting up shop in the former St. Lawrence Centre Mall in Massena with the New York Power Authority Board of Trustees approving a $1.2 million award.

According to Governor Kathy Hochul's office, Natural Insulation Products America will receive $1.2 million as part of the Northern New York Power Proceeds Fund.

NYPA economic developer Patricia Wilson previously made the recommendation that NIPI receive a $1.2 million allocation as part of round 12 of the Northern New York Economic Develop Fund allocations.

As part of the agreement, she said Natural Insulation Products America Inc. would spend more than $6 million on the project.

"Natural Insulation Products plans to establish commercial scale production in the St. Lawrence Industrial Complex, formerly the St. Lawrence Centre mall, in order to better pursue the North American market,” she said.

The company has already completed its proof of concept stage and successful market entry from its pilot plant in Italy, she said.

According to Wilson, Natural Insulation Products are hoping to pursue the North American market by establishing a foothold in Massena. The Massena location will function as NIPI's North American headquarters.

The allocated funds would be used to purchase the highly specialized machinery to make their products, which will be used in the fashion, military and outdoor clothing market, Wilson said.

Other criteria that make the company a great fit include the planned creation of 45 full-time head of household jobs in the first five years of operation, along with the requirement of a light industrial space, Wilson said.

Wilson also said locating in a disadvantaged community, offering training for under and unemployed persons, as well as a goal of transitioning Fort Drums soldiers to the civilian workforce are also big factors in supporting the application.

According to the proposal, Natural Insulation Products will have a local economic impact of $30.7 million in the first five years based on the company's projections.

Officials say the company's plans also line up well with the Industrial Development Agency's priorities.

According to Wilson, the company also cited the opportunity to promote international trade as a primary reason to locate in the new St. Lawrence Industrial Complex.

The Canadian company that produces "Thindown," the only fabric made entirely from down, the layer of feathers found under tougher exterior feathers of geese and ducks.

According to the company, "THINDOWN offers all the outstanding natural advantages of down such as lightness, warmth, wicking, breathability, and absolute thermal insulation in the thinnest possible profile. Thanks to the exclusive processing of NIPI R40, the fabric is characterized by a uniform distribution of down that enables the absence of horizontal stitching sections and prevents the passage of cold and leakage of down. Thanks to its versatility THINDOWN, like any other fabric, facilitates all variety of personalization, widening the use of down to 365 days a year."