BY BILL SHUMWAYNorth Country This Week

POTSDAM –  A three-year-old company expected to soon be shredding five tons of paper a day was named “Business of the Year” Wednesday night by the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce.

Ivan and Marie Klobucar, owners of of Summit Shred Lab, received the award during the chamber’s annual dinner at the Stables at Windy Point. In addition to secure shredding of sensitive documents, the firm provides self-storage facilities as well as fingerprinting and ID services.

Curran Renewable Energy of Massena was presented the “Producer of the Year Award” and Hosmer’s Marina of Ogdensburg received the “Customer Service Excellence Award.”

“The Klobucar’s approach to doing business is top-notch,” said chamber Secretary Amanda Hitterman, in presenting the award. She noted “their professionalism, perseverance, hard work, extensive knowledge, clear and timely communications, attention to detail and commitment to the community.”

The Klobucars first fell in love with the North Country about a dozen years ago while motorcycling through the area from Canada. They bought a small cabin in the area, visited intermittently, then bought commercial property at 6950 NYS Hwy. 56 near Unionville during the pandemic.

They first offered self-storage units. Then, the company began shredding documents following state and federal document destruction regulations, serving health care organizations, municipalities, lawyers, hotels, residents cleaning out their homes and small businesses.

“This award reaffirms our belief that dedication and hard work in pursuing a dream leads to success and recognition such as this prestigious award,” said Ivan Klobucar.  

He noted a sign in his office says, “Together We Can Do Great Things,” and thanked those who helped get the business off the ground. They included Jennifer McCluskey of the Small Business Development Center at SUNY Canton, John Pinkerton and Patrick J. Kelly of the St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency and Ron Bacon of Community Bank.

Summit Shred is on track to grow from shredding one ton of papera day to five tons a day, he said.

Curran Renewable Energy began operations in 1976 with a used logging truck and a few chainsaws, and today employs 85 people, noted chamber Treasurer Craig Chevalier. He presented the “Producer of the Year Award,” which recognizes companies that create and sell locally sourced or value-added products.

Today, the family-owned and operated group of companies is involved in the forest harvesting industry, producing premium wood products like wood fuel pellets, BBQ pellets, and cedar mulch.

Curran President Kelli Curran Ramsey credited the firm’s loggers, truckers, mechanics and manufacturers. They all help Curran “make a meaningful impact in our community,” she said.

Benny Fairchild, second vice-president of the chamber, presented the “Customer Service Excellence Award” to Hosmer’s Marina for extraordinary service to their customers.

The business, which recently expanded with the addition of Sweet Emilie’s  coffee shop, treats each customer “in a way that will want them to come back” and  is a “shining example” for residents, newcomers and visitors alike, he said.

Owner Bill Homer said he and his wife, Maureen, love the North Country. “We try very hard to make it an enjoyable place to live and visit and that mantra rubs off on our 40 employees.”

He continued, “We know it takes a whole team to win a customer service award and we have the best team out there, all of our employees are celebrating this honor.”

Earlier, chamber Executive Director Ben Dixon noted the “tremendous organizational change” that has been underway since the Jan. 1 merger of the Massena, Ogdensburg and Canton chambers of commerce with the county chamber.

The chamber staff is laying the foundation for a sustainable and impactful chamber but still has a along way to go, he said.

Accomplishments this year have included distributing 10,000 visitor guides, promotion of county fishing and tourism, higher occupancy rates at lodging establishments, high levels of social media viewership, and promotion of St. Lawrence County at trade shows in Canada and New York State, he said.