Fulton County CRG Secures Nearly $1 Million in State Grants

Two Grants in Two Weeks Totaling $983,700 for Workforce Development and for a Shovel-Ready Site

GLOVERSVILLE, NY (February 19, 2025) – Ronald Peters, President and CEO of the Fulton County Center for Regional Growth (CRG), is pleased to announce that the organization has been awarded two significant grants totaling $983,700.

• FAST NY Grant Program: The CRG received $434,700 to support infrastructure development at the Johnstown Commerce Park. This grant was awarded on February 18th.
• Mohawk Valley Empowers Program: The CRG was granted $549,000 for its workforce development “Expertise Project.” This funding was secured on February 12th.

These grants will play a crucial role in advancing economic growth and development in Fulton County.

“We would like to thank New York State for choosing CRG as a recipient for these grants. Both grants will benefit the students, residents, and businesses of Fulton County by providing future employment opportunities and developing industrial space to bring in advanced manufacturing industry to the county,” Peters said.

The pre-development project at the Route 30A site will encompass crucial studies to determine infrastructure costs, including road construction, utility installation, site analysis, and environmental investigations. Its strategic location near the existing Johnstown Industrial Park, adjacent to a major county artery and just five miles from the NYS Thruway, positions this site to attract and foster growth in advanced manufacturing businesses.

“The NYS Fast NY Grant will provide the necessary funding to keep advancing the Johnstown Commerce Park through various stages of the “shovel ready” process. Our intention is to take advantage of our strategic location in the “Technology Triangle” between the development of GlobalFoundries, the Future Micron Site, Marcy, and the SUNY NANO Center to attract Advanced Manufactures to Fulton County. Advanced Manufacturing is where we need to be as it will provide high paying jobs to our residents,” Peters said.

Last week, the CRG received a $549,000 grant for its Expertise Project.

This initiative will use video and virtual platforms to strengthen connections between students and businesses, promoting workforce development.

Ken Adamczyk, Economic Development Specialist at CRG and administrator of the workforce grant for the Expertise Project, described the program as a subscription-based employer discovery platform. It is designed to enhance middle and high school classrooms, as well as programming at BOCES, technical schools, and 2- and 4-year colleges. Adamczyk explained that the Expertise Project connects the professional world with education by providing videos and lesson plans featuring local employers. This helps students who are preparing to enter the workforce find suitable careers. The platform aims to reduce the awareness gap between students and career opportunities by illustrating potential career paths.

Currently, at Northville High School, students enroll in an elective class, and over the course of the semester, create 3D videos of businesses. Guided by social studies teacher John Karbowski, students brainstormed questions to ask business leaders as well as employees working at the company.

“A lot of work was done on the front end with planning out the visits,” said Northville High School’s principal Samuel Ratti. “The students were being very purposeful in the planning, so when they went to the actual job sites, they went in with a lot of prior knowledge. They developed goal-oriented and industry specific questions that allowed them to learn about the companies while also discovering what it is that they liked and did not like.”

More information on Northville’s involvement can be found at www.fccrg.org/workforce.

“It’s exciting to receive a NYS Grant to provide cutting edge technology to increase our workforce development skills between our local businesses and our students.” Peters said.

About Fulton County Center for Regional Growth

Fulton County Center for Regional Growth’s (CRG) mission is to strengthen Fulton County’s economic base, facilitate sustainable growth, enhance the competitive position of our region, its counties, towns, and cities and facilitate investments that build capacity, create jobs, improve quality of life, and increase the standard living for all its residents. CRG is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. To become a member, visit our website at www.fccrg.org/crg-membership. To stay in touch with CRG, follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fccrg.