The Peru Gazette

Empire State Development’s Board of Directors met today in New York City and approved $12.4 million in funding for projects that will create more than 80 new jobs and retain 625 existing jobs throughout the Empire State. They include: Swarovski Lighting, Ltd. (North Country Region – Clinton County) – $450,000; Slic Network Solutions, Inc. – $976,426; and Trudeau Institute (North Country Region – Franklin County) – $5,000,000

Swarovski Lighting, Ltd., a leading designer and manufacturer of high-end and custom crystal chandeliers and lighting fixtures, will use a grant of up to $450,000 for a portion of the cost of the purchase of machinery and equipment as part of a $3.4 million expansion project. The company has completed renovations to a 200,000-square-foot building in Plattsburgh, purchased and installed new machinery and equipment, and completed employee training to increase production efficiency and manufacturing productivity. Facility renovations included safety, infrastructure and layout improvements to the building in which the manufacturing, engineering, marketing, sales and administrative functions reside; and the new machinery and equipment was installed to upgrade technology in key areas, such as product design, operations and manufacturing. Swarovski also invested in product certification, a necessity for selling new cutting edge products that fall outside the parameters of previously certified product families (e.g. LED lights and dimmers) – such products require their own unique certification from authorized agencies and must meet the certification requirements of any country in which the product will be sold.

Slic Network Solutions, Inc. – $976,426 for Lyon Mountain Broadband (Clinton County).

Trudeau Institute (North Country Region – Franklin County) – $5,000,000

The Trudeau Institute, a world-renowned center for immunological research in Saranac Lake, will use a grant of up to $5 million for a portion of the costs of ongoing programs, operations, and staffing at Trudeau biomedical research laboratories. The Institute will continue to operate and expand its research laboratory to conduct biomedical research in New York State including aging, cancer, influenza, pneumonia, tuberculosis, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, and Lyme disease. Trudeau will also expand its existing contract research capabilities for pharmaceutical, biotechnology and biomedical engineering companies, leveraging its expertise and world-class experimental animal facilities and unique CDC-certified laboratories for investigating immunity to Select Agent pathogens for biodefense. This multi-year project, in conjunction with partnerships with Clarkson University and the State, will move the Trudeau Institute closer to its broader vision of developing a biotechnology cluster in the North Country. The Institute and Clarkson will establish and coordinate scientific research and expand education and technology-based economic development. Trudeau and Clarkson will also put in place the faculty, facilities, and educational programs to make this cluster self-sustaining and diversify and develop other funding and business opportunities to sustain a new business model for future operations.