Monaghan Medical breaks ground at former airport
A medical manufacturer is investing some $10 million to expand its Town of Plattsburgh plant. Monaghan Medical Corporation, part of Trudell Medical Limited, held a groundbreaking ceremony at the former Clinton County airport Tuesday afternoon.
PLATTSBURGH — A medical manufacturer is investing some $10 million to expand its Town of Plattsburgh plant.
Monaghan Medical Corporation, part of Trudell Medical Limited, held a groundbreaking ceremony at the former Clinton County airport Tuesday afternoon.
The corporation’s new facility will sit on a 35-acre lot at 153 Industrial Blvd. and total 65,000 square feet.
Trudell Medical Limited CEO and Monaghan Medical President Gerald Slemko said plant completion was anticipated for July 2020 with production to start that fall.
“We felt very committed to maintaining our facility in Plattsburgh and decided that this is a place that we want to invest in,” Slemko said at Tuesday’s event.
“This is where we want to continue to grow our business.”
THE COMPANY
Monaghan Medical focuses on the manufacturing and distribution of medical devices related to the treatment of respiratory diseases, like asthma.
Slemko said the group is a national and global leader of that initiative.
Their most well-known product, he added, is the 40-year-old AeroChamber, a device sometimes used with metered-dose inhalers.
TIME TO EXPAND
Monaghan Medical has had a presence in the Town of Plattsburgh since the 1980’s, renting an approximately 35,000-square-foot facility at 5 Latour Ave. since then.
But, Slemko said, the local operation has outgrown its current size.
“And the facility has aged,” he added.
“We decided that it was time to build a new facility and the opportunity to expand, both in terms of product and capability.”
Of the new facility’s square footage, 48,000 of it will house warehouse/production processes, leaving about 17,000 square feet for office space.
The future plant will feature new production equipment, as well.
MANUFACTURING HUB
An 80,000-square-foot facility, owned by Fort Schuyler Management Corporation, is under construction at the former Clinton County airport off of Route 3 in the Town of Plattsburgh.
That facility will soon house Norsk Titanium operations and the Monaghan Medical building will sit to its right.
In a recent press release, Empire State Development said the former airport property is “emerging as a regional hub for manufacturing.”
With the exception of the two parcels undergoing development, however, much of the 660 acres are without access to infrastructure, like utilities and roadways.
County of Clinton Industrial Development Agency Executive Director Renee McFarlin has said the cost of getting the land ready for future development would amount to $4.5 million.
In October 2018, Clinton County, the Town of Plattsburgh and the Development Corporation pledged a combined $1 million for that job and McFarlin has overseen the project’s federal grant application process which has secured an additional $500,000.
An application for a $3 million Economic Development Association award was underway as of Monday afternoon.
ROOM TO GROW
Slemko said the new Monaghan Medical building’s design and their 35 acres of land would allow for a future expansion.
“We actually have the opportunity to double the size of the facility,” Slemko said.
Vice President of Sales and Marketing Bill Seitz said that’s a real possibility for the Plattsburgh facility.
“We have a lot of good things in the pipeline that we’re currently working on — new innovations,” Seitz told The Press-Republican. “I would expect that we’ll be expanding within the next few years.”
And, depending on its growth levels, Seitz believed Monaghan Medical will have capacity enough to double over the next five years.
‘A WELCOME ADDITION’
The Latour Avenue location has a staff size of about 70 workers.
Empire State Development President/CEO/Commissioner Howard Zemsky said the medical manufacturer has committed to the creation of 10 more jobs.
Overall, Town Supervisor Michael Cashman said it was exciting to hear the group would build a new facility within the town.
“The site selected is a perfect fit to the ever-expanding former Clinton County airport property,” Cashman said.
“Monaghan will be neighbors to Norsk Titanium and other global leaders in their respective industries.
“Our region continues to optimize historic public and private investments. This corridor in town is the future of our region and their $10 million investment is a welcome addition.”
