BY PAUL MITCHELL
North Country This Week

CANTON -- A $390,000 Empire State Development grant will allow Atlantic Testing Laboratories (ATL) to undertake the necessary structural renovations and building improvements to continue to operate effectively and efficiently at its Village of Canton facility.

According to ATL Chief Executive Officer Marijean B. Remington, ATL purchased the vacant former cogeneration facility at 80 Lincoln Street in 2010. The company’s Drilling Operations, heavy equipment fabrication shop, and light truck repair center are located there.

“Planned structural renovations and building improvements are necessary to continue occupying and expanding the company’s operations at this site. Additionally, ATL plans to purchase an additional drill rig that will expand their workforce and assist in meeting workload demands,” said Remington. “ATL thanks Empire State Development for the recent award of $390,000 that is key to moving their project at 80 Lincoln Street forward.”

The 80 Lincoln Street location provides a central facility for the company’s Drilling Operations and also contains the fabrication and maintenance shops that provide in-house service for the company’s 177 registered vehicles and 117 off-road vehicles and heavy equipment, Remington noted.

“The fabrication and maintenance shops are a strategic competitive advantage for ATL. The company is able to win and successfully execute challenging projects in the drilling area due to the creative and innovative fabrication of specialized equipment [and/or modifications and add-ons],” she said. “The vehicle service center allows the company to complete routine, along with predictive, maintenance that enhances vehicle safety and useful life.”

ATL is an expanding company headquartered on Route 11 in Canton, with 10 offices and over 250 employees throughout New York State. The company was founded in 1967, and gained WBE certification status in 2014. ATL is a full-service engineering support firm offering Subsurface Investigations, Water-Based Investigations, Geotechnical Engineering, Environmental Services, Special Inspection Services, Construction Materials Testing, Laboratory Services (Aggregates, Geotechnical, and Petrography), and Nondestructive Testing.

Two other St. Lawrence County projects were funded through the same initiative.

SUNY Canton received $1.1 million to redevelop a former gymnasium on the second at the Richard W. Miller Campus Center into the Canton Center for Research, Education, Access, and Training in Entrepreneurship: Canton CREATE.

Grant money of $163,680 was earmarked for renovations of the former JJ Newberry Building in Massena (GoCo Massena).

This year, $150 million in grant funds from Empire State Development was made available on a continuous and competitive basis to support the immediate needs of applicants. Additionally, projects within each region are eligible for a share of $75 million in Excelsior Jobs Program Tax Credits to help attract and grow business in their region.