On January 14, 2000, at the Plattsburgh - North Country Chamber of Commerce 88th Annual Dinner and Dance, Westport Marina was presented with the prestigious Small Business of the Year Award.With nearly 1,300 members in the organization, we were honored to have been chosen.
The theme of the Dinner was Chamber Hollywood.
See our Wizard of Oz crew who attendedThanks to all the customers and staff that helped us to build our business over the last 18 years!
From the Press Republican Newspaper:
1/15/00 Chamber accolades
Business, civic leaders honored
By DIANE PETRYK
Staff WriterPLATTSBURGH &emdash; The North Country ChamberĖs Volunteer of the Year &emdash; Bob Perkins of NYSEG - "exemplifies what we all wish we could be," said outgoing Chamber Board Chairman Margot Zeglis.
"People work with Bob, confident in his ability to achieve any goal."
Zeglis, who tapped Perkins for the award in collaboration with the Plattsburgh/North Country Chamber of Commerce Board, said everyone completely agreed Perkins has been a true Volunteer of the Year.
When surprised with his award at Friday nightĖs annual chamber banquet, Perkins told the gathering one of the nicest things about being a volunteer is the new people you get to meet.
As chamber treasurer, Perkins played a key role in the development of the organizationĖs services and growth of its membership for the past seven years.
Zeglis cited his ability to spark others to new heights of success.
Others recognized Community service and commitment also played a large part in other chamber awards presented Friday.
These include Businessperson of the Year, presented to Anthony Searing, manager of Pactiv, formerly Tenneco Packaging; Business of the Year, to Mold-Rite Plastics of Plattsburgh; Small Business of the Year, to Westport Marina, Westport; and Economic Development Service of the Year, to the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA).
Westport Marina and Mold-Rite are family-owned businesses whose outstanding performance and flexibility are evidence of talented, dedicated stewardship.
ORDA has emerged as much more than the management agency for the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.
Chamber President Garry Douglas said it has become "a major engine for economic development for the entire North Country."
Anthony Searing
Searing, who arrived in 1994, explained his native-like devotion to the area.
"You learn when you come to a nice community a lot of people who got there before you worked to make it a nice community.
"My wife and I have always taken an interest in helping a community - following in the footsteps of the people who came before - even if we might not stay forever."
The Chamber acknowledged Searing for turning Pactiv, producer of molded fiber products - such as fast food drink trays - into a model of progressive industrial practices, particularly in the areas of safety and quality assurance, and for being an outstanding community leader.
Searing has taken active leadership roles in numerous civic organizations.
Formerly an employee of General Motors, he holds a bachelorĖs degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan. He and his wife of 20 years, Margaret, live in Morrisonville. They have two children.
Westport Marina The Carroll family, owners of Westport Marina, are another standout in community service.
As North Country tourism has required volunteers to actively engage in planning and promotion, according to the chamber, the Carroll family has been consistently involved.
The family purchased the business in 1982 and have made additions in its physical appearance and services.
Jim Carroll told the banqueters their secret of success: always embracing change.
There has been a decrease in boat traffic, he said, so they upgraded their restaurant, redesigned the ShipStore and turned to power-boat rentals and - for those who not only donĖt have a boat, but couldnĖt drive one - tour-boat excursions.
He also realized early "that the Internet was the wave of the future, and whoeverĖs first and fastest, and does it right, wins."
Westport Marina has been one of the winners.
ItĖs going into its fourth season with products on the web. One line, inflatable toys, has experienced an 11,000 percent growth over 24 months. TheyĖve had to add a shipping department and now send out about 50 packages a day.
"It blows my mind to get an order from an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean that no oneĖs hardly ever heard of," Carroll explained before the banquet. "But weĖre shipping all over the world."
For those who can come in person, he said, they carry a wide variety of items.
"If they can spend a dollar we have something for them.
"Or, if they want to spend a ridiculous amount of money we probably have something weĖd be happy to sell them."
Mold-Rite Mold-Rite Plastics is another North Country success story.
Incorporated in 1976 by Geoffrey Titherington, it began with five used molding machines and six full-time employees, according to the chamber.
Strong entrepreneurial spirit and good business decisions have fostered the companyĖs growth from 32,000 square feet and 100 employees in the mid-1980s to 270,000 square feet today and about 220 workers.
To those employees Vice President Gary Titherington credits a large portion of the present success.
"And the people we do business with in the local community," he added.
Mold-Rite makes plastic packaging like the caps on those child-proof prescription bottles.
As Business of the Year, Mold-Rite was cited in a statement by the chamber for implementing the latest and best practices across the board "most recently exemplified by the creation of an on-site employee gym and health facility.