Ritchie Secures $30,000 to Help Grow North Country Businesses, Create Jobs

State Senator Patty Ritchie is announcing she has secured $30,000 in state funding for the Greater Watertown North Country Chamber of Commerce’s North Country Procurement Technical Center (PTAC), which helps grow businesses, boost the local economy and create jobs.

PTAC provides free assistance to businesses looking for contracting opportunities within military, other federal, state and local government markets and helps strengthen their readiness to pursue those opportunities. The funding is part of a “Base Retention” grant Senator Ritchie successfully secured in the most recent state budget. It will help strengthen the link between Fort Drum and its surrounding communities.

“This special economic development program helps businesses learn how to work with the government to secure contracts, which in turn, creates jobs in the North Country,” said Senator Ritchie. “I’m pleased to secure this funding, which will provide critical support to our area businesses, which work with the brave soldiers and military families on Fort Drum.”

“The North Country Procurement Technical Assistance Center plays a key role in boosting the area’s economy by connecting local businesses with contracting opportunities within the military, as well as within federal, state and local governments,” said Kylie Peck, President and CEO of the Greater Watertown North Country Chamber of Commerce. “Through funding secured by Senator Ritchie, we will be able to help even more local businesses grow and in turn, boost our local economy.”

This new funding builds upon the $400,000 Senator Ritchie recently secured to help strengthen Fort Drum and protect the installation from potential cuts.

In 2012, Senator Ritchie played a key role in the creation of the Military Base Retention Fund in the State Budget. It has funded a number of Fort Drum-related resources including health care services for soldiers and their families, the purchasing of critical equipment for the fire departments and first responders that serve Fort Drum and its surrounding communities, and protecting the “buffer areas” around the post’s perimeter to prevent development from encroaching on training areas.