Rep. Nick Langworthy, MAST Executive Director Todd Tranum, and Weber Knapp President Rhonda Johnson

Congressman Nick Langworthy discussed workforce development issues and manufacturing on a tour of Weber Knapp in Jamestown on Friday.

The Congressman from the 23rd District met with Weber Knapp President Rhonda Johnson and Manufacturers Association of the Southern Tier Executive Director Todd Tranum.

Langworthy said when it comes to public policy and economic development, people always seem to be “chasing a grand slam,” “We should be hitting singles and doubles. And those are realistic goals. You see too often out of Albany this desire, and obviously every governor wants legacy projects, but it’s always gotta be something that’s pie in the sky.”

Langworthy said he’d rather see investments in proven companies as well new incentives to make products in the United States to avoid supply chain issues again that were made apparent by the Pandemic

Weber Knapp President Rhonda Johnson compared employment in manufacturing at the company to a “well-stocked mall,” “When you go into a manufacturing plant, if you don’t like to do this maybe you might like to do that. You like to help people, how about HR. You like to work in a group, on a team, we have that in manufacturing. You want to work individually, we’ve got that too. There’s something for everybody. And you can make a really good wage, raise your family, have good quality of life, so we need to get more people in to understand that.”

Johnson said while manufacturers want new technology, it doesn’t make sense to invest in multi-million dollar equipment if there are not employees who have the training or are willing to get the training, “We need to have the education in place. You have to have the people who are hungry to learn that skill. The more the minimum wage goes up, the less incentive there is for people to want to gain a skill and make more money because if they can live on what they’re making, there’s not a lot of incentives.”

Langworthy said he would do what he could with help with investments in workforce development.

Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)

FALCONER, NY – Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning, NY 23) was in Falconer Thursday as part of a Campaign stop to tour a local manufacturing operation and promote his efforts to keep Western New York’s manufacturing tradition alive and thriving.

Reed stopped by Weber Knapp in Falconer as part of his effort to highlight manufacturing legislation he’s supported while in office, including the Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovations Act (RAMI)—which he was lead sponsor for. The program is designed to provide funding for education programs across the country to help train those who are looking for work in the manufacturing sector.

“Manufacturing is part of our history here in New York, and I want to ensure it is in our future. We can be manufacturing leaders again,” Reed said during his stop “Businesses right here at home like Weber Knapp in Falconer and Southerntier Custom Fabricators in Elmira are creating real, family sustaining jobs that fuel our economy. Local manufacturers are the reason I wrote and fought to have RAMI passed into law.”

Weber Knapp Co-Owner, president and CEO Rex McCray provided Reed with an endorsement, saying the Corning Republican has made himself accessible to listen to the needs of regional manufacturing, adding that he’s shown he supports local business by supporting RAMI and opposing the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).

Reed is running for reelection this November against Lakewood Democrat John Plumb.

Bill Daly

JAMESTOWN – The man in charge of economic development in Chautauqua County is retiring later this spring.

Chautauqua County Planning and Economic Development Director Bill Daly – who also serves as the executive director of the county industrial development agency – will be retiring on May 31.

The announcement was made by County Executive Vince Horrigan in a media release that was sent out Monday afternoon. In the release, Horrigan said that Daly notified him of the decision over the weekend. Daly, who is 65 years old, became director on Jan. 1, 2006, after being appointed by then-County Executive Greg Edwards.

As IDA director over the past 8 years, Daly has overseen 54 Business Loans in excess of $14 million, closed on 20 PILOTS with annual tax payments of $11 million and issued $103 million in tax exempt bonds supporting 5 projects valued at over $235 million. According to Horrigan’s media release, the impact of the economic benefits has retained thousands of jobs, brought in hundreds of new jobs, and leveraged over $500 million in private investment in Chautauqua County.

Daly and his department was also criticized in the 2013 county executive race, when democratic candidate Ron Johnson claimed that more than 7,000 jobs were lost in Chautauqua County during his time as executive director of the IDA. As Director of the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Economic Development, Daly successfully guided the development of award-winning New York State plans such as the County’s Comprehensive plan —Chautauqua 20/20, and the Chautauqua County Greenways Plan, plus the Chautauqua Lake Watershed Management Plan and the Macrophyte Management Strategy.

However, Daly was also involved with keeping several businesses in the area, including the SKF Aeroengine plant, the Weber-Knapp plant and most recently, working on a PILOT agreement with the NRG power plant in Dunkirk.

Horrigan said that he will be looking region-wide for the next director of the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency and that the county will most likely need to hire an interim director until the position is filled.

It’s being described as a watershed moment for Chautauqua Lake. Yesterday representatives from a dozen municipalities formally met to sign off on the Chautauqua Lake Watershed Compact, an inter-municipal agreement among the communities that lie within the Chautauqua Lake watershed. By signing the document, the participating communities have created a new inter-municipal committee of the Chautauqua Lake Management Commission and will work toward implementing the recommendations of the Chautauqua Lake Watershed Management Plan.

Among the various goals of the committee, the panel will work toward implementing improved practices for highway and public works departments. Another of the compact’s primary purposes is to establish uniform land-use practices and policies throughout the many municipalities of the lake’s watersheds. The new committee’s first meeting will take place at 7 p.m. on Oct. 6.

JAMESTOWN LAWMAKERS APPROVE PURCHASE OF NEW DPW EQUIPMENT

The Jamestown Department of Public Works will soon have four new pieces of equipment in its road construction and maintenance fleet. On Monday night, the Jamestown City Council approved four resolutions that would result in the purchase of a dump truck, trackless sidewalk plow, patching truck and a pavement roller. The total cost would be $375,000, part of the $4 million bond schedule approved by the council in the spring.  City Public Works Director Jeff Lehman said the equipment will be a “shot in the arm” for the city’s aging fleet.

The council also approved two measures involving the acquisition of property on Steel Street for a proposed DPW salt barn. While both resolutions were basically a formal trading of property from one city agency to another, Councilman Steve Szwejbka voted against the measure, saying he would prefer environmental review of the project be completed before moving forward with the property transfer. However, Councilman Tony Dolce noted that the resolutions would simply help to keep the process moving forward and that another resolution would have to be approved to actually begin the project. At issue is weather any air debris from the salt barn would have an adverse impact on the Board of Public Utilities’ gas turbine, which would be located across the street from the proposed Salt barn.

In other action last night, the City Council gave its approval of a JLDC $200,000 loan to the individuals who are in the process of purchasing the Weber Knapp company. After the vote to approve the loan, city Councilman Vince DeJoy remarked that the purchase of the business by two local partners was significant to the history of Jamestown and to what the council would like to see take place more frequently in the city.

NEW LAKEWOOD BUSINESSES TO OPEN IN SEPTEMBER

Two new businesses will soon be opening in the former Quality Markets Plaza in Lakewood. The Jamestown Post-Journal is reporting this morning that T.J. Maxx and Michaels, along with a Pet Smart, will open sometime in early September. Much of the space in the plaza has been empty since Quality Markets was closed in April 2010. The owners of the Plaza – Widewaters Construction of Dewitt, N.Y. – have invested $3.5 million into the property to prepare it for the new tenants. Other new businesses to be located in the plaza include Olympia Sports, Five Below, Sally Beauty and Gamestop.

WNY REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL TO HOLD PUBLIC FORUM

A public forum designed to gain input on a regional economic development plan will take place Tuesday, Sept. 13 in Jamestown. The event is being coordinated by County Executive Greg Edwards as part of the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council. The purpose of the forum is to receive crucial input from citizens on economic development goals that should be included in the Council’s Strategic Plan, which will help guide economic development and job growth in Western NY for the next five years.  County residents and business leaders are encouraged to attend. The forum will take place on September 13 at 6 p.m. at Jamestown Community College’s Scharmann Theatre, located at the Arts & Sciences Center on James Ave in Jamestown.