Urban Revitalization at It’s Best
- Jodi Brunner
- Apr 10
- 5 min read
By Rachel Dutil • Photos by Jessica McCafferty
AES Northeast has been involved in many high-profile projects around the
North Country in its 26-year history, but its newly renovated office building on South Platt Street in Plattsburgh may be the project that elicits the most pride from staff. Managing Partner Scott Allen explained their dream for the past decade has been a bigger space that could fit the entire team under one roof. For a number of years, they have operated two offices in Plattsburgh and have been searching for a bigger space since 2011.
Allen said they had looked at 30 or more potential sites and considered buying vacant land and constructing a new facility. “We needed a space roughly 7,000 to 10,000 square feet, which is very hard to find in the Plattsburgh area in an existing building,” he noted. The biggest challenge was finding a facility that also had a parking lot to accommodate at least 40 vehicles.
With the help of realtors Jay Recore and Kathy Eppler from Century 21, and Steve LaBombard of Fesette Realty, they located the property that had been a long-standing Durocher family auto sales location, but had been vacant for several years. Patrick Leary of PM Leary LLC owned the property and was interested in leasing it. Discussions about a long-term lease agreement began in late January of 2024, and the AES staff moved into the new location in early June, thanks to the miraculous efforts of Leary and his team. The AES architecture department did the design work and Leary’s team gutted the space and then did the custom renovations.
The layout is open and welcoming, with brightly colored exposed beams in green and yellow, which help the space feel energizing. Liza Kilcoyne, who leads the architectural division of AES explained her team worked to incorporate the needs of each division into the design and focused on ensuring the space was bright and energy efficient. “Pat helped us make our vision a reality,” she offered.
Human Resources and Marketing Administrator Sandy Young-Brady emphasized the kitchen is the best space in the building. It is spacious with high ceilings, large windows and a sizable counter with stools that is a gathering spot for staff. It was also the space that hosted a grand opening event last year after the completion of renovations.
Architecture – Engineering – Surveying (AES)
AES Northeast was formed as the result of a merger of Allen’s predecessor company, Design Engineering and Land Surveying, which he and Wayne Ryan co-founded in 1988. In 1999, that company merged with an architectural firm in Plattsburgh and engineering firm in Westport to form AES Northeast.
“We have an architectural department, a civil engineering department, a water resources department which includes municipal water and municipal wastewater, a land surveying and mapping department, and we have a planning and grant compliance department,” Allen explained, adding staff also includes an IT administrator, a controller, a bookkeeper and Young-Brady who handles HR and marketing. The AES team currently has 35 employees, with several open positions they are looking to fill.
“The ability to collaborate between departments in the same building has been beneficial to both productivity and company culture,” Allen said. The AES team operates on a hybrid model, and most employees prefer to be in the office several days per week to interact with their colleagues. “There is no good substitute for that in-person communication,” he emphasized.
Architectural projects in AES Northeast’s portfolio include the Institute of Advanced Manufacturing at Clinton Community College, Gore Mountain Ski Center, the mid-station lodge at Whiteface Mountain, some smaller projects at SUNY Plattsburgh, and hundreds of other projects throughout northern New York and Vermont. The scope of projects ranges from large commercial and institutional projects to small residential jobs.
The civil engineering department works on a variety of projects, including site planning and transportation projects. They are currently working on a major improvement project to Route 37 on Saint Regis Mohawk Reservation. They have designed sites for new pharmacies, traffic signal projects and are developing site plans for a new 72-unit multi-family housing project.
The water resources team works on securing grants and funding packages and designing improvements to municipal water supply and distribution systems and municipal sewer collection and treatment systems. “Those have been the bulk of our business for many years,” Allen offered. Funding those types of projects comes from federal or state grants distributed mostly through the Environmental Facilities Corporation arm of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. “We help communities secure those grants by starting off with engineering planning grants,” Allen explained. “We do preliminary studies to determine what improvements are needed to the systems.”
The survey and mapping team tends to be the first step in a lot of the projects that AES Northeast does. All projects start with a boundary survey and a topographic map of existing conditions, Allen explained. “Our architects and engineers are our best customers because we do a lot of work for them, but we also provide surveying and mapping services to the general public,” he noted.
In addition AES has a planning and grants portion of the company that assists clients in applying for grants and funding packages. Currently, that team is working on comprehensive plans for several towns in the region.
Urban Revitalization
Pat Leary said he drove by the property off US Avenue for years after the auto dealership moved out, always thinking it was a property and location that was worthy of something great. After three years, he decided to make an offer on the property “not knowing what I would even do with it,” he recalled. After purchasing the property, he was approached by a number people interested in renting the space. “I probably turned down ten inquiries because I felt the property deserved something better.”
Although he is not fond of the term, Leary is an entrepreneur. He owns eight businesses and multiple commercial and residential properties. “I just like to do things,” he said simply.
“When I was approached by AES, I was super excited for this opportunity due to the type of business and their long history in the area,” Leary said. The design, layout and renovations were a team effort between Leary, his PM Leary Lead Craig Bushey, Kilcoyne, Nathan Bull, Scott Allen, Kevin Farrington and others from AES, as well as Tom Roberts from Ace Electric.
Leary is proud of the improved aesthetic in the area and the speed and efficiency with which his team was able to convert the space. He also noted. “The City of Plattsburgh is absolutely great to work with. They are really working with people to make the area a better place.”
“This property was becoming an eyesore. Pat Leary deserves credit for taking a chance and rebuilding it. This is a good example of urban revitalization,” Allen concluded.
AES Northeast
74 South Platt Street
Plattsburgh, NY 12901
518 561-1598
PM Leary Builders
4426 Route 22
Plattsburgh, NY 12901
518 563-3470
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