O’Mara applauds completion of Gunlocke Company expansion project, new jobs in Steuben County: Says ReCharge NY program gives local manufacturers economic stability (UPDATED, November 28)

Wayland, N.Y., November 27—State Senator Tom O'Mara (R-C, Big Flats), a member of the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee, applauded today’s announcement that The Gunlocke Company in Wayland (Steuben County) has completed a $2.6-million expansion project that included the creation of 110 new jobs.

Governor Andrew Cuomo made the announcement of the project’s completion earlier today in Albany.  O’Mara stressed that Gunlocke’s expansion received critical support from the ReCharge NY (RNY) discount power program, which provides lower-cost economic development power to qualifying businesses and not-for-profit organizations committed to retaining and creating local jobs.

O'Mara said, "The Gunlocke Company's expansion project, which is creating 110 new jobs in Wayland, has been an important piece of Steuben County's overall job creation and preservation strategy.  In particular, the long-standing ReCharge NY economic development power allocations have been vital to maintaining jobs and promoting economic growth and stability in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions.  Many local businesses and manufacturers depend on this lower-cost energy to preserve jobs and stay competitive.  ReCharge NY helps give employers like Gunlocke the long-term economic stability they need to retain and create jobs, and strengthen the state’s business climate.”

Cuomo said, “ReCharge NY is supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs across the state and has been an instrumental piece of the state’s economic success over the last several years,” Governor Cuomo said. “Providing low-cost power to companies like Gunlocke allows them to grow and thrive in New York, spurring the local economy while securing New York’s clean energy future for generations to come.”

RNY, a major statewide initiative for retaining and creating jobs and spurring capital investments, was approved by the Legislature and signed into law by the governor in 2011.  O'Mara co-sponsored and strongly supported the program's creation.  The program is currently reducing costs for approximately 750 businesses and not-for-profit organizations statewide.

Last year, The Gunlocke Company received an RNY allocation of 1,680 kilowatts (kW) that help the commercial furniture manufacturer retain and create jobs, and generate an estimated $2.63 million in new capital investment.  Gunlocke was one of 12 state businesses that shared a total allocation of 6.45 megawatts (MW) under the RNY program.

[UPDATE: See more in the articles attached above from The Leader and The Evening Tribune on November 28, 2018]