John Davidson, EDC Warren County board member, checks out the site at Queensbury Business Park to be awarded to the Business Plan Competition winner.
EDC Warren County in conjunction with Hudson River Local Development Corporation is pleased to announce a business plan competition designed to encourage development and provide employment opportunities for the region. The Grand Prize winner will receive a fully approved shovel-ready lot in the Queensbury Business Park (QBP) in the Town of Queensbury, Warren County NY at no land cost.
Business plans will be reviewed and ranked by a committee comprised of representatives from the business and economic development community in Warren County. The competition is open to all non-retail businesses willing to locate and develop facilities on the awarded lot at the Queensbury Business Park. Applications for the competition are now available. Deadline for submission is close of business, July 31, 2012. The award will be announced September 30, 2012.
The Grand Prize in this exciting business plan competition is a fully approved and shovel-ready 3.8 acre lot in Queensbury Business Park at no land cost (subject to transfer fee of $20,000 total; $5,000 due at time of award).
The total value (estimated at approximately $200,000 to $250,000) includes cost of purchasing 3.8 acres of commercial/light industrial land with full site approvals. Site includes access to all utilities in a new business park setting.
Non-retail businesses meeting the following conditions are encouraged to apply:
• Manufacturers with or without logistics attached.
• Back office or shared services center operations; technical support/operations center
• Warehouse/distribution center operations; especially those which support existing manufacturing operations in Warren or Washington county
• Developers who have a tenant who meets the above qualifications, and have a minimum five-year lease commitment with said tenant
Businesses that already have a presence in either Warren or Washington County which, for business reasons must relocate operations, are encouraged to apply provided they fit the categories above. These applicants will be required to provide a detailed business case for relocating from their existing place of operation to the QBP.
Additional requirements:
• Be able to break ground within 12 months of award
• Create/retain a minimum of 10 full time equivalent jobs on site
• Minimum 5 year job level commitment after occupancy
• Site approved to accept a maximum 25,000 SF building
• Use consistent with existing zoning requirements (Commercial/Light Industrial) in the Town of Queensbury and park covenants
• Able to secure bank commitment within 90 days of award (a Letter of Interest from the applicant’s financial institution should be included with the application).
• Able to submit engineered plans within 60 days of award
• Able to provide $5,000 down payment of a $20,000 total transaction fee at time of award
Interested parties will submit CONFIDENTIAL applications to the Open For Business Selection Committee by 5:00 pm EST on July 31, 2012. Final grand prize award will be announced September 30,2012. The award will be based upon, but not limited to, the following factors:
• Business plan quality
• Financial projection creditability
• Total new capital investment amount
• Jobs created/retained
•Potential for future growth
•Management team experience and capability
The Queensbury Business Park is controlled by the Hudson River Local Development Corporation. The HRLDC will receive recommendations for the grand prize from the Open for Business Selection Committee. The Selection Committee is comprised of business and economic development representatives from the City of Glens Falls, the Town of Queensbury, Warren County, the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce, the EDC Warren County, and the Warren County Local Development Corporation.
EDC Warren County, Hudson River Local Development Corporation and the Open For Business Selection Committee reserve the right to accept or reject any and all offers subject to established criteria, and make no representation or warranties either express or implied.
The Queensbury Business Park is located along Queensbury Avenue. The QBP is a 41 acre commercial light industrial park developed by HRLDC and is a NYS Certified Shovel Ready site with park road and fully built infrastructure. Lot 4’s address is 33 Stone Quarry Road, Queensbury NY 12804. Lot 4 is comprised of a total of 3.8 acres, zoned CLI/Commercial Light Industrial, and has Town of Queensbury approval for construction of up to 25,000 s.f. facility. Municipal water, sewer, natural gas, electric, telecom (fiber and copper) are available. The site adjoins a National Grid substation and the park is divided by a 115 kVa transmission line. The QBP Covenants are available on line at WWW.EDCWC.ORG; or contact John Wheatley: JWheatley@edcwc.org.
Desired businesses that are permitted in the Town of Queensbury’s Commercial Light Industrial zone with Site Plan Review (SPR) include business and professional services (non-retail), construction company, light manufacturing, office, or research and development.
These regional economic development organizations are putting their money where their mouth is. This is a high-stakes competition where the winning business stands to leap to the next level quickly. Don’t delay – get in the game today.
To download the application packet, visit the EDC Website at www.edcwc.org; or email John Wheatley to receive the applicant packet at: JWheatley@edcwc.org.