EMI moves into Griffiss business park

ROME -- Even though the airplanes have left Griffiss Air Force Base, things are soaring at the new Griffiss Business and Technology Park.

Since the U.S. Air Force decommissioned the base on Oct. 1, 1995, 17 businesses have sprung up, bringing in 400 new jobs. The newest tenant -- Enviro Master International (EMI) -- held an open house at the former commissary (a 30,000-sq.-ft. building) on Sept. 23.

EMI announced that it has entered into an agreement with Airedale International Air Conditioning Ltd. of England to manufacture air-conditioning, heating, and ventilating units for schools. EMI already operates a 52,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing facility on Success Drive in Rome, a few blocks from a new Wal-Mart Supercenter.

EMI, established in 1985, manufactures ductless split air-conditioning systems. Since 1988, it has been majority-owned by Utica Boilers Inc. and members of the Reed Family.

"We're delighted to bring [more] Oneida County as a joint project between EMI and Airedale," says Earle Reed, president and CEO of The Utica Companies (comprising Utica Boilers; EMI; and Oneida Royal, a furnace manufacturer). "We met Airedale [previously] when we bought some ceiling air-conditioning units from them. We felt we could help them [expand] their production."

Last June, EMI company representatives met with Airedale International executives in England to explore partnership opportunities. A subsidiary, Airedale, North America, began manufacturing air-conditioning equipment in Bensalem, Pa., in 1987. In 1988, Airedale began to focus on supplying heating and cooling units to schools -- such as Franklin Elementary School in Syracuse -- as well as offices including the Scipio Family Medical Center in Auburn.

"We will be sending 40 units [from Rome] in the first week of November to a school in New Jersey. Our biggest markets right now are in New Jersey and California," explains Don Fyffe, president of Airedale N.A. "In this area, most of our sales are in heating and ventilation."

Rome will assume most of the manufacturing duties presently handled by the Bensalem plant, but Airedale's Pennsylvania office will continue to handle sales, marketing, and distribution. "EMI is a little bigger than our company, so it can move people from plant to plant easier," Fyffe notes.

Currently, EMI employs 100 full-time and seasonal employees at the two plants in Rome. "We started with four employees in the fall of 1986," says EMI Production Manager Bill Wilson. "And we expect to add 50 additional jobs over the next year."

Sales and Marketing Specialist Edith Buffalohead notes that EMI had between $3 million and $4 million in sales in 1991, and anticipates between $15 and $16 million by the end of 1996

Other tenants

Griffiss Business Park has been pushed into the spotlight as it undergoes a two-year capital-improvement project. In early September, officials announced that the Park will begin receiving $2.5 million in federal Economic Development Administration funds.

In addition, state and local governments have chipped in $2 million to improve the infrastructure. That includes demolishing several World War II-vintage buildings at the 250-acre business complex and replacing them with new development sites, and also rebuilding access roads and upgrading the sewers and the central heating plant.

"Since last October, when we opened the Griffiss Park, we have leased 315,000 square feet to high-tech, manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution companies," explains Steve DiMeo, executive vice-president of Oneida County EDGE (Economic Development Growth Enterprise Corp.).

Current tenants in the park, in addition to Rome Lab and EMI, are: Apex Manufacturing, which manufactures components for Orion Bus Industries; Orion Bus, vehicle manufacturing and warehouse; Benetech, a company which recycles paper sludge; GE Capital Test Equipment Management Services, which calibrates and repairs test equipment; Griffiss Child Development Center, a daycare center; GTE Government Systems; and Kaman Sciences, who are contractors for Rome Lab.

Also, the Mohawk Glen Golf Club and driving range; National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology; New York State Technology Enterprise Corporation (NYSTEC); Oneida County Office for the Aging; Pallet City, a recycler of wooden pallets; Sentinel Products, a cellular-foam manufacturer and warehouse; Synectics; Tel Tec Communications; a Veteran's Administration Clinic; and West Electric, Inc., offices and warehouses of an electrical contractor.

Griffiss Business and Technology Park has seven distinct development districts served by Rome city sewers and water, a central heating plant, passenger-and freight-train service, high-voltage electric distribution, and sophisticated telecommunications.

The 104-acre Rome Lab/Research and Development Campus includes NYSTEC and the Defense Finance and Accounting Services Center. East of Rome Lab, 170 acres, complete with rail siding, are available for the industrial development of large-scale manufacturing and processing operations.

North of Rome Lab are 121 acres suited for manufacturing and commercial development -- such as air cargo and aircraft maintenance. There is a 126-acre "gateway" to the park reserved for large corporate development. Adjacent to Rome Lab is another 78-acre complex described as an "incubator" for small, private office buildings.

The business and technology park will have plenty of amenities. The nine-hole golf club is part of a 142-acre service campus that also includes the VA hospital, child care, a theater, gymnasium, chapel, and dormitory. And nearby is a subdivision of vacant military housing that will be demolished to make room for "Woodhaven Village," consisting of single-family homes.

Copyright Central New York Business Journal Nov 11, 1996
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