Situated in Upstate New York, Oswego County is located centrally to New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Toronto and Montreal. A great location and a host of transportation options place Oswego County at the top of the list for manufacturing and logistics site selectors.
Logistics
Oswego County is a truly multi-modal location, with access to ground, rail, air, and water transportation for shipment of goods. The county offers convenient access to Interstates 81 and 90 which provide north/south and east/west movement through the state. The Port of Oswego is a deep-water port and the first port-of-call in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System. CSX rail service is available throughout the County, with direct access at the port, as well as several sites and industrial parks. Oswego County also has a local airport and is within minutes of Syracuse’s Hancock International Airport.
The benefits of locating within Oswego County’s Foreign Trade Zone could include reduction of duties on materials and finished goods being imported and exported within the zone.
Utilities
With a strong economic base in manufacturing, Oswego County is equipped with modern industrial infrastructure including heavy power and gas. Coupled with plentiful water and wastewater options, this infrastructure provides flexibility for light- to heavy-industrial uses.
For many food processing facilities water is a critical component for processing. Oswego County offers high quality potable water and available capacity for industrial waste water treatment. Depending on your location, you could tap into nearly limitless water from Lake Ontario or access up to 10,000,000 gallons available daily from the Onondaga County Water Authority (OCWA). There are also several options for water treatment including municipal treatment and a future private treatment facility with over 5,000,000 gallons of excess capacity.
Sites
Oswego County has Greenfield sites available that are ready to build on. Within the county’s industrial parks, all sites have utilities and other necessary infrastructure in place. Select sites within the industrial parks have had comprehensive site profiles performed. These profiles expedite the selection process by eliminating much of the due diligence work for the potential purchaser. The Lake Ontario Industrial Park is within the City of Oswego’s federally designated Opportunity Zone.
Labor
Oswego County also has a skilled workforce, with metal manufacturing, food processing, and other industrial experience, who are ready to work. The workforce is supported by over thirty institutions of higher learning within fifty miles. These educational institutions work collaboratively with economic development organizations, workforce training centers and industry to train a skilled labor pool for advanced manufacturing. Recently, these partners developed an advanced manufacturing certificate program which provides a strong base in manufacturing practices including welding, CNC and CAD.
Quality Of Life
An affordable cost of living, rich historical roots, and a plethora of outdoor activities year round, make Oswego County a great place for families. There are nine school districts in Oswego County which provide a core K-12 curriculum. In addition, they offer specialized coursework through partnerships with CiTi BOCES and nearby colleges. Plus, many schools excel in either a sport or music program. From birth to eldercare, and everything in between, your medical needs are covered without ever leaving Oswego County.
Target Markets
Oswego County has many assets that are attractive to food processing and agricultural businesses such as access to a deep water port, plentiful water, and skilled labor with prior food processing experience. One of the best assets of all is the collaborative nature of Oswego County agricultural producers and food processors, allowing their businesses to grow together.
Oswego County also has a well-established light manufacturing cluster, specifically in metal fabrication. With nearly 40 specialized machine shops and fabricators, Oswego County offers a great opportunity to businesses that can fill a niche within this sector or have a business that can benefit from locating near this cluster. These businesses could include advanced manufacturing companies, suppliers and R&D firms. The strength of this sector is due to interdependencies and collaborations between manufacturers within the cluster. Companies, such as EJ USA, Novelis, and Universal Metal Works, attribute their success to the availability of a skilled and educated workforce in metal manufacturing, a robust supply chain and a well-connected multimodal logistics network within hours of every major northeast market.
For more information about how Oswego County could meet your business’s logistical needs, contact L. Michael Treadwell, Executive Director of Operation Oswego County, Inc., at (315)343-1545 or ooc@oswegocounty.org.