Chamberwise: IAM and CVES Both Committed to Our Economic Future

By Garry Douglas , Photos Supplied

We recently arranged a full-day visit to Plattsburgh by Dr. Michelle Larson, president of Clarkson University. The discussions were substantive and opportunities for collaboration are real. The day’s visits at the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing at Clinton Community College and the new CVES/CV-TEC Career and Technical Education Center were especially encouraging as we look to sustain and grow manufacturing in the North Country:

The IAM, under the direction of Billy Jones and his team, has been thoroughly revitalized and is now actively committed to working with area employers and various partners to utilize this remarkable asset to directly build the skills of our current and future workforce. With specialized equipment updated and ready, with significant new grant resources through CCC and the Chamber, and with long-needed commitment and enthusiasm, every regional manufacturer who hasn’t yet visited and explored all possibilities for training support needs to do so.

At CV-TEC, construction will be completed soon on its massive new Career & Technical Education Center. Located on 17 acres of the former county airport, this $59 million project will offer 155,000 square feet of modern and flexible space for CV-TEC’s invaluable training programs and its new and updated programs. In addition to this remarkable project, CVES has announced plans for a new 106,000 square foot training center at its Mineville campus in Essex County!

Plattsburgh is a unique hub for manufacturing in our region, attracting and hosting a strong cluster with particularly significant international dimensions. This manufacturing base cannot be sustained and evolved without training assets and capabilities like those being updated and offered by IAM and CV-TEC. And few rural areas like ours can boast of two such great operations making these kinds of forward-looking investments. Our profound thanks to both.