LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Ursula of
Switzerland

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize the
achievements of those individuals and businesses which substantially
contribute to the economic vitality of their communities and the entire
Empire State; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commem-
orate the 50th Anniversary of Ursula of Switzerland to be celebrated in
the summer of 2015; and
WHEREAS, Ursula Garreau's headquarters are at 31 Mohawk Avenue in
Waterford, in the former Ormsby-Laughlin Textile Mills on the Mohawk
River; and
WHEREAS, Up until 13 years ago, all her dresses were made in Water-
ford, now they are sewn in Manhattan and then returned to the warehouse
for shipping around the world, each tagged proudly with "Made in the
USA"; and
WHEREAS, All the design work is done in Waterford by Ursula and her
assistant, Tara Wheeler; when she was 23 years old, Ursula moved to New
York City; she moved again to Schenectady in 1968; and
WHEREAS, At one time in her career, she had four stores in the Capital
Region; local dress and bridal shops still carry her line of formal
attire as well as lasuisse, a bridal collection; and
WHEREAS, The warehouse space contracts between 5,000 and 7,000 dresses
and other attire in sizes 4 to 28; and
WHEREAS, The Ursula of Switzerland facility in Waterford includes a
boutique and a retail space, and hosts events in the warehouse for
people to shop and contribute to nonprofits such as the Center for Disa-
bility Services and the Center of Missing and Exploited Children; and
WHEREAS, On the second floor of the warehouse, her staff mixes high
tech with old fashioned techniques to make clothes from scratch;
patterns are created on a mannequin, and then a digitizer creates
computer images of paper patterns; they also use steel sewing machines
that look like they came from another era; and
WHEREAS, In July, Ursula Garreau will celebrate her 50th Anniversary
on the banks of the Mohawk in Waterford, where she first potted the
Romanesque Revival decades ago from the deck of a friend's boat, and
brought a bit of grace, and economic development, to an historic town;
and
WHEREAS, It is with great pleasure that this Legislative Body acknowl-
edges this exceptional business and its contributions to the local and
State economies, fully confident that it will continue to enjoy the
sparkling successes it has experienced thus far; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Ursula of Switzerland; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Ursula Garreau.