Key Takeaways
⋆ Fulton County has a diversified economy featuring companies like FAGE USA, Benjamin Moore, Walmart Food Distribution Center, Crystal Geyser, Taylor Made Products, EPIMED and many others.
⋆ Office/industrial/commercial land values and rents are highly competitive when compared to other regions in New York State.
⋆ High quality, professionally managed municipal infrastructure systems exist in Fulton County. These systems have excess capacities that are available to support and promote new growth and development.
⋆ Tryon Technology Park offers shovel‐ready sites to attract new businesses into Fulton County.
⋆ Targeted Industry Analysis for Tryon Technology Park identified seven Industry Clusters that would be ideal for Tryon:
• Biomedical Research and Development
• Food and Beverage
• Health Care Products and Services
• Headquarters and Business Services
• Software and Media
• Electronics
• Renewable Energy
⋆ Local governments utilize an expedited (1‐2 month) process to secure local approvals.
⋆ The purchasing power of County residents is growing evidenced by the median household income rising 10% between 2010 - 2014.
⋆ A 2017 Retail Strategy documented the demand for nearly 400,000 SF of new retail development opportunities in the County by 2020.
Fulton County’s Competitive Strengths
Great Place to Live and Raise a Family
180 degree turn from high cost – high stress way of life.
Close‐knit community.
Small town environment.
Lower cost of living compared to surrounding regions.
Low crime rate.
Natural Beauty and Resources
Easily accessible, year‐round recreation opportunities and venues in Fulton County: swimming, boating, kayaking, canoeing, camping, hunting, downhill and cross country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, snowboarding, motocross racing, horseback riding and others.
5‐10 minute drive to any of these recreational opportunities.
44 lakes including the Great Sacandaga Lake: 5th largest lake in New York State.
15‐minute drive into Adirondack State Park from two cities.
Available and Affordable Buildings
Available and affordable buildings for residential, office, manufacturing, high‐tech, commercial and retail development.
Buildings in downtown, just off downtown and elsewhere.
Expedited Local Permit/Approval Process
County Planning Department serves as planning staff for City/Town Planning Boards.
Expedited and predictable local approval processes.
30-60 day approvals for site plans including SEQR.
Strong Municipal Infrastructure Systems
Nationally recognized Gloversville‐Johnstown Joint Wastewater Treatment Plant (GJJWWTP).
State of the Art Fulton County Landfill.
Excellent water systems.
Outstanding General Aviation Airport: Fulton County Airport.
Countywide recycling program.
Pro-Development County
Board of Supervisors’ support and encourage growth and development.
Strong political support for growth and development.
Competitive Office and Industrial Lease and Sale Rates
As shown in the following tables, Fulton County offers highly competitive lease and sale rates, compared to State averages:
Key Employers in Fulton County
| Employer | Type |
| Lexington Center | Service provider to developmentally disabled. |
| Walmart Food Distribution Center | Food Distribution |
| Nathan Littauer Hospital | Health Care |
| FAGE USA | Yogurt Manufacturer |
| Benjamin Moore | Paint Manufacturer |
| DHL Logistics | Logistics |
| EPIMED | Medical Devices Manufacturer |
| Taylor Made Products | Boat Accessories Manufacturer |
| Townsend Leather | Upholstery Leather Manufacturer |
| Pioneer Windows | Aluminum Windows Manufacturer |
Commercial & Industrial Lease and Sale Rates (2014)
| Fulton-Montgomery Co. Region | New York State | |
| Avg. Office Rent/SF | $7.15 | $18.70 |
| Avg. Industrial Rent/SF | $3.17 | $7.25 |
| Avg. Commercial/Industrial Land Price/Acre/ | $26,800 | $62,000 |
Source: Targeted Industry Analysis: Tryon Technology Park
Tourism
The County’s scenic beauty and diverse recreational assets annually attract thousands of visitors. Tourism has long served as a staple industry, generating sales tax revenue and boosting small business. Fulton County Tourism reports that 63,000 visitors travel Route 29 each year. In 2015, the tourism industry in Fulton County directly and indirectly employed approximately 750 persons and generated approximately $3.7 million in local taxes.
Key Tourism Figures
“The 2015 Economic Impact of Tourism in New York State”
• $54 million annual traveler spending in Fulton County including over $30 million in spending by seasonal homeowners
• Visitor spending in Fulton County grew by more than 7% in one year
• Tourism supports 756 jobs with $19.6 million in annual earnings
• Tourism generates $3.7 million in local taxes annually
Agriculture and Food Processing
Approximately 220 farms on nearly 40,000 acres in Fulton County produce dairy products, fruit, vegetables, grain crops and livestock. Milk and other dairy products accounted for more than 60% of the region’s agricultural sales in the Mohawk Valley counties (Fulton, Herkimer, Montgomery and Oneida) in 2010. Prime agricultural soils total approximately one-‐third of County acreage.
Fulton County’s manufacturers, along with many farmer’s markets and new food businesses like Mohawk Harvest in Gloversville, are developing the Region as a major food‐processing hub. New employers such as feta cheesemaker Euphrates Inc. take advantage of the wealth of dairy farms and proximity to New York City, Boston, Montreal, Buffalo and other major metropolitan markets. FAGE USA, one of the largest yogurt brands in the United States, sited its U.S. production facility in Fulton County. In 2013, CG Roxane began bottling and shipping Crystal Geyser® Alpine Spring water from a nearly 180,000 square foot bottling plant in Johnstown. Local specialty sausage manufacturer Espuna located their Imperial Chorizo brand headquarters in a state‐of‐the‐art, USDA‐approved 23,000‐sq. ft. facility in Gloversville.
Development areas in Fulton County include the following;
• Regional Business Park: A 260+/-‐ acre parcel of land south of the Johnstown Industrial Park is being prepared into a shovel ready site to attract a game changing company.
• NYS Route 29 Corridor: The NYS Route 29 commercial corridor, which runs from the City of Johnstown to Downtown Saratoga Springs, currently has recreational and commercial uses, including the YMCA, Hales Mills Golf Course, Fulton County Visitor Center, Animal Medical Center, Jackie’s Diner, Adirondack Harley Davidson and Holland Meadows Golf Course.
• NYS Route 30 Corridor: The corridor is a gateway to the Adirondack Park and the largest commercial corridor in Fulton County with many name-‐brand retailers, restaurants service oriented and specialty retail as well as locally owned establishments.
• NYS Route 30A Corridor: NYS Route 30A is a high traffic commercial corridor featuring name brand retailers, restaurants, specialty retail and numerous locally-‐owned businesses.
Shovel-ready sites in Fulton County include the following:
• Tryon Technology Park: Accessible from Exits 27 and 28 off I-‐90. 220 acres of pristine land in a wooded, quiet environment. Expedited project approvals are provided.
• Johnstown Industrial Park: Located four miles from I-‐90 and off NYS Route 30A. Currently home to FAGE Yogurt, Walmart Food Distribution, Benjamin Moore Paints, Euphrates Cheese and others. The Park is an ideal location for food processing and manufacturing businesses. Expedited project approvals are provided.
• Crossroads Business Park: The Park’s 70+/-‐ acres of fully-‐serviced land provides a convenient and comfortable location for a variety of white-‐collar businesses including the medical device manufacturer EPIMED. Expedited project approvals are provided.
• Crossroads Industrial Park: Located on NYS Route 29 approximately seven miles from Exit 28 off I-‐90, the Park has six acres of shovel-‐ready land available. It is home to a number of companies including Midwest Fasteners, SWANY and Falk Industries. Expedited project approvals are provided.
Expanding Clusters
New York’s health sector is also expanding and the County has multiple community-‐based health care centers, including Nathan Littauer Hospital which includes a 74-‐bed acute care hospital and an 84-‐bed skilled nursing home.
The Logistics, Agriculture and Food Processing, and Medical and Healthcare Manufacturing industries gained hundreds of new jobs in the past ten years in Fulton County, and these sectors continue to be strong opportunities for job growth. In December 2016, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an unemployment rate of 5.7%, with 21,624 employed. There were significant year-‐over-‐year job gains between June 2015 and June 2016 in certain sectors, including manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities and leisure and hospitality.
Cities of Gloversville and Johnstown’s Municipal Water Systems
The Cities both operate and manage excellent municipal water systems.
SMART Waters
Fulton County’s innovative regional water and wastewater system provides these services anywhere in the County to support a development project.
Fulton County Landfill
The Fulton County Landfill was one of the first facilities in New York State to be permitted under NYSDEC’s Part 360 Regulations. The landfill accepts various types of waste. Its tipping fees are amongst the lowest in New York State.
Gloversville-Johnstown Joint Wastewater Treatment Plant
With millions of gallons of excess capacity to support development, this award-winning Plant was the first in the nation to produce 100% of its own power from anaerobic digestion. The Plant earned the 2015 Project of the Year Award from the Capital Region Branch of the American Public Works Association.
Fulton County Airport
The County‐owned General Aviation Airport features a 4,000’ paved runway and parallel taxiway, precision approach path indicators and an Automated Weather Observing System. Located just east of the City of Johnstown, the airport is within an hour’s distance of Boston, New York City, and Montreal.
