Ogdensburg the ideal U.S. site for Ottawa-area companies
The U.S. border town of Ogdensburg, N.Y., spells opportunity for Ottawa-area companies of every size as New York continues its push to attract businesses to the state with a program offering 10 years of tax freedom.
Under the START-UP NY program, taxes — including business, corporate, property, sales and income taxes — are dispensed with for many businesses setting up or expanding into certain areas, including the Ogdensburg area just across the international bridge from Prescott, Ont.
Only 50 minutes’ drive from Ottawa, Ogdensburg and the whole of St. Lawrence County where it is located is also a Foreign Trade Zone, where customs duties are exempted or reduced, offering a serious advantage to firms importing and exporting raw materials and goods.
Add to that Ogdensburg ’s easy access to transportation, including its being the only U.S. port on the St. Lawrence Seaway and the closest to Northern Europe, and the availability of light and heavy industrial land and buildings, and it’s easy to see why it’s attractive to Canadian companies.
“There’s been a long history of Canadian companies in the Ottawa region that have expanded to Ogdensburg and done well,” says John Rishe, director of commercial and industrial development for the Ogdensburg Bridge & Port Authority. “There’s a history of this being the ideal U.S. location for Ottawa-area firms.”
Indeed, the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge connects to Hwy. 416, making it an easy run from Ottawa to Ogdensburg. Management staff can oversee their U.S. operation and be home the same day, cutting travel costs.
The port authority also owns the New York and Ogdensburg Railway, a shorthaul line with cross-border connections that terminates at the port, and the Ogdensburg International Airport located 10 minutes from Prescott, which offers daily commercial flights and services to private aviators.
Rishe says Canadian companies with a U.S. location find it easier to meet Buy America requirements for government contracts and eliminate many of the border issues that still exist, including brokerage fees, paperwork and duties.
Moreover, having a U.S. operation facility can open the door to a market 10 times the size of the Canadian market, says Rishe.
On the flip side, Ogdensburg is a prime location for U.S. or global companies that do business in Canada.
One of the places those companies set up is in the industrial parks operated by the authority, and Rishe says there’s currently about 50,000 square feet of space available and more than 100 acres of fully-serviced greenfield sites ready to be developed.
The business services offered by the Ogdensburg Bridge & Port Authority include incubator space, customs brokerage and pick-and-pack operations.
For more information visit www.ogdensport.com.