Courtesy EDC Warren County
By Paul Post
Jim Siplon came to Glens Falls to help launch a new company, Just Water, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary.
In the process, he fell in love with the area and is now a driving force for its short- and long-term economic health and vitality.
“A lot of people look at the Adirondack Park as an economic liability,” said Siplon, Warren County Economic Development Corporation president. “I take a contrarian view. We have one foot inside the park and one foot outside. That is a really unique strategic place to be. Look south to Saratoga and the Capital District and we have connections to much bigger things like the chip fab industry. Take the same drive north and you can be on Lake George, skiing at Gore Mountain or atop of one of the 46 High Peaks.”
“That’s a tremendous opportunity,” he said. “We have to figure out how to leverage our location. That’s going to require investment in infrastructure such as broadband, thinking about where we want additional housing, investing in assets that attract new residents and young people because we have an aging population, and taking care of existing businesses. That combination of things is what we’re constantly working on.”
The non-profit EDC has a nearly $1 million budget derived from local government and membership fees paid by employers from small, one-man firms to Glens Falls Hospital, which has the area’s largest workforce. EDC offers a variety of programs, services and funding to help new firms get started and bolster those already here.
It’s also a conduit that opens doors to an even wider array of benefits, such as state grants and tax credits, working in partnership with similar entities such as Capital Regional Economic Development Council, the Center for Economic Growth, Innovate 518, Glens Falls and Warren County Industrial Development Agencies and Warren County Local Development Corporation, which Siplon also leads.
Among recent high-profile projects, EDC is deeply involved with the current redevelopment of South Street in Glens Falls, where EDC is headquartered in the Empire Theater building. It also did a great deal of behind-the-scenes work, helping AngioDynamics keep some jobs locally, after initially planning to exit Warren County altogether.
But EDC’s efforts extend throughout the county. It played a vital role in helping Lake George obtain a $10 million state Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant.
In North Creek, work is expected to begin soon on a $10.1 million wastewater treatment system that will serve the local business district and Gore Mountain’s North Creek Ski Bowl project featuring a new lodge, chairlift and zipline. A hotel is planned for the site as well.
EDC was a major player in helping secure approvals and funding for the project. “We worked on that for four years,” Siplon said. “It’s finally coming to fruition. Without this system, none of the businesses on Main Street could expand or make modifications because they’re too close to the river, and no large-scale hotel could be built. It’s stymied development for that part of our county’s economy.”
Once completed, it’s hoped the new treatment system will trigger significant business investment in North Creek.
The three main pillars of Warren County’s economy are tourism, the service industry led by healthcare, and manufacturing.
“We have the largest hospital between Albany and Montreal, a span of 200 miles,” Siplon said. “We provide healthcare and specialized services for an area as big as some states. We’re really deeply engaged in the healthcare sector to make sure they’re staying competitive and healthy.”
While some heavy industries such as Glens Falls Cement Company have ceased operations, Siplon believes there’s great, untapped potential for new firms to start up that could play a critical role protecting the area’s valuable natural resources.
“There’s a lot of places in the world that are under great stress (fires, drought, rising shorelines),” he said. “New York is not only known for the beauty of Lake George, but as a climate haven. I look at that and say, ‘If we could bring 1,000 people here and most of them were involved with water and forestry resources, that would be perfectly aligned with the place. It would enhance what we are’.”
In a concept Siplon calls the “reverse marketplace,” EDC has already developed models for environmental business opportunities it believes would have a captive market that no one yet has stepped into yet.
“And we’ve already lined up funding if we can find the right people to do them,” he said.
For example, there is a great deal of concern about Lake George water quality issues. An enterprising person could make brine available to private contractors and municipalities as an alternative to rock salt.
There’s also a need to upgrade ailing septic systems. Another possibility would be developing applications in which milfoil and similar invasive species become ingredients for other products, rather than just destroying them.
“This kind of innovative programming serves the community and launches new business at same time,” Siplon said.
He also believes there’s almost unlimited potential for successful new business in the trades such as plumbing, HVAC, electrical and construction. As an example, he pointed out that Gross Electric owner Joseph Gross started out in a garage and now employs hundreds of people.
“The trades are one of the fastest ways for people to develop personal wealth,” Siplon said. “There’s almost unlimited demand for it and it’s based on your own work ethic and the level of energy that you’re willing to provide. You could immediately go to work and be part of helping our economy grow. Our goal is to introduce people to those choices as well.”