PLATTSBURGH — It certainly was An Affair to Remember as the North Country Chamber of Commerce presented five awards at its 100th-annual dinner Friday night.

The event, tagged An Affair to Remember, packed the Westside Ballroom.

BUSINESSPEOPLE OF THE YEAR

Pat and Diane Akey were honored as the 2011 Joe Bornstein Businesspeople of the Year at the event, tagged An Affair to Remember. The couple own three businesses in Plattsburgh: Uno Chicago Grill, Hampton Inn and Suites and Microtel Inn and Suites.

"We're honored to be selected for the award," Mr. Akey said. "There are so many excellent businesses and businesspeople in Plattsburgh. It's very special to be chosen."

He said the award is a reflection of the tremendous efforts put forth by the people who work at the three businesses.

"We certainly have to thank our team members that deliver exceptional guest satisfaction each and every day," Mr. Akey said. "We're fortunate to have an exceptional management team."

Mr. Akey said the region is fortunate to have tremendous leadership, including the chamber.

"The chamber has really become an amazing organization under the leadership of Garry Douglas. It has grown exponentially," he said. "I don't think it shows any sign of slowing down."

Uno Chicago Grill is the couple's most recent business move. It opened last June and has been well received by diners from all over the North Country, as well as north of the border, they said.

The Hampton Inn and Suites opened in June 2009.

"We've been pleased to welcome guests from all over the world," Mr. Akey said.

The Akeys opened the Microtel Inn and Suites at the end of 2004. Mr. Akey said that is a great brand, associated with Wyndham Hotels.

"We appeal to a wide audience there."

The company has received a J.D. Power and Associates Customer Satisfaction Award in the economy/budget hotel category for 10 straight years. Mrs. Akey said it's the first time a company has done that.

The Akeys had owned and operated a Ponderosa restaurant, which they opened in 1984.

"We enjoyed serving guests there for 27 years until we closed to build Uno Chicago Grill," Mr. Akey said.

They built Putters miniature golf in 1993 and expanded that by adding go-karts in 1995. That provided fun for a lot of families while it existed, he said.

They both appreciate living in the North Country. Mr. Akey said it is a wonderful, safe area that offers tremendous services.

"It's a good place to raise kids," Mrs. Akey said.

She said they like to help the community whenever possible. One example is a commitment to the Girl Scouts.

Another example is Uno Wednesday, a monthly event when the focus is on raising funds for different charities.

One of the aspects they have enjoyed the most about running the various businesses is the opportunity to work with a lot of young people.

"For a lot of our team members, it was their first job," Mrs. Akey said. "It's exciting to work with young people.

"They're so enthusiastic."

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNER OF THE YEAR

Empire State Development North Country Regional Director Roseanne Murphy was chosen 2011 Economic Development Partner of the Year.

"I always am surprised at things like this because I think there are so many people we work with, so I don't expect to be singled out. I think my success depends on so many people," she said.

"I think we need a group bow. Everybody has worked together."

Murphy was named to her position in June. She came on board in time to be part of the Regional Economic Development Council process, in which the North Country Regional Council was awarded $103.2 million for 70 projects.

Murphy said the new system has changed the way Empire State Development works. They are now working with a 30-member council that represents a seven-county region.

"It's a radical change, but I think it is a change for the better," she said.

There were also more than 600 volunteers that took part, putting in countless hours to develop the plan in a short time span, she noted.

The North Country is by far the largest region geographically, Murphy said, and is very diverse. Unlike the other regions, it doesn't have a single large urban area that drives the economy.

There is manufacturing in the Plattsburgh area and Fort Drum in the environs of Watertown. On the other hand, Hamilton County has the smallest population in the state.

The council will hold another meeting Feb. 3 in Lake Placid to get ready for another round of competitive funding. It will also work to see if the five-year strategic plan needs to be tweaked.

"The plan shouldn't be static," Murphy said.

She said the area has done well with economic development. There has never been a time, she added, when she couldn't call others in the local economic development community and have an immediate response providing any assistance they could.

"I think the one thing that people do right up here is working together," Murphy said.

She has been with Empire State Development's Plattsburgh office since the early '90s.

"I was transferred up here just as they announced they were going to close Plattsburgh Air Force Base."

She worked with those who helped organize the original planning effort for airbase redevelopment. The former base is seen as a rousing success in both reuse of property and environmental cleanup.

The goal was to reuse as many of the assets as possible. That was done in a number of creative ways, such as the large donations of equipment to Plattsburgh Aeronautical Institute.

"They did exceptionally well," Murphy said.

She then moved on to more traditional economic-development work, responsible for efforts in Clinton, Essex, Franklin and Hamilton counties.

Murphy said the region definitely benefits from its proximity to Canada and the number of Canadian companies with North Country locations.

She said that before coming to the North Country, she worked for the state in Utica. Before that, she worked for regional economic-development districts in the Mohawk Valley and Watertown.

"I've been working on economic development ever since I graduated from college," Murphy said. "I just really enjoy the work."

BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

Imperial Industrial Park was named 2011 Business of the Year. Property Manager David Bray said he was surprised to be given the award.

"It's sort of a payoff for a lot of hard work. There is a ton of satisfaction for taking an out-of-commission building and putting it back to work."

Bray has been property manager since the former Imperial Wallcovering mill, which closed in 1998, was acquired in May 2003. He has overseen its redevelopment as an industrial park.

The property includes 46 acres of land, 500,000 square feet of floor space and 10 acres of roof.

"We're about 60 percent full," Bray said.

He said 28 companies with about 148 employees are now located at the park.

The mill was built section by section, starting in 1906 and ending in 1978.

Bray and his crew work to renovate the vast space to the needs of their tenants. That includes multiple walls, loading docks, access doors and bathrooms, as the facility is converted from its former single-tenant use to a multi-tenant use.

While the building is old, tenants can envision the potential when they see what the crews have done for other businesses that occupy renovated space, Bray said.

"Our tenants have to have vision. We can make it state of the art when we are finished."

When they acquired the property, there had been little maintenance, if any, done for a number of years. So far, they have replaced 6 acres of roof, and plan to do a little more each year.

They have rebuilt the heating system, which saves about 30 percent in heating costs.

"We have replaced almost all of the interior lighting in the facility," Bray said.

Because of that, electric costs are about the same as when the building was empty, he said.

"The low electricity rates the city offers are a big help to any kind of manufacturing operation."

He attributes the industrial park's success to "the enthusiasm of the people in this community for economic development and the support they've lent us."

During a slow economy the last three years, Imperial has survived by focusing on the tenants it does have. They are looking at an expansion this year, when they will remove the roof on about 50,000 square feet and expand upward to create warehouse space, with a 30-foot ceiling and railroad-spur access.

"We're very optimistic about where the future is going to take us," Bray said.

SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

Urgicare of the Northeast is the 2011 Small Business of the Year. Owner Dr. Jonathan Beach said he was thrilled beyond belief by the award.

"We've worked very hard for nearly eight years. We just do what we love. It's nice to be recognized for it."

Beach took over Urgicare in 2007 and renamed it Urgicare of the Northeast. He soon revamped the walk-in practice and industrial-medical portion of the practice. He said there are limited places that handle industrial checkups, such as drug screens, in Plattsburgh.

Later that year, he opened the Northeast Center for Diabetic Care and Education. That move was based mainly on his experience as a diabetic.

"That has exploded," Beach said.

That part of the practice receives many referrals, and multiple educators help show people how to manage the condition.

The practice is now a Medtronic Insulin Pump Center.

"We have prescribed and managed more than 300 pumps and have about 1,000 diabetic patients," Beach said.

He recently reached an agreement with pharmaceutical companies Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim to speak for them about their diabetes medications.

He has written a column on diabetes for the Press-Republican for a couple of years now.

Shortly after the diabetes center opened, Beach started a weight-loss center.

Most recently, Urgicare of the Northeast has added an allergy/asthma center that is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is working with a board-certified allergist who is based in Glens Falls.

Urgicare of the Northeast has six full-time and seven part-time employees, in addition to Beach: four doctors, three LPNs, three medical technicians, an office manager, two receptionists and one financial manager.

The practice has expanded from two examination rooms to seven. Beach has also added a lab, conference room and administrative area.

Beach said he works with 11 EMS agencies in the region. He provides medical care at the Pfizer pharmaceutical plant in Rouses Point and works in the emergency department at Alice Hyde Medical Center.

Beach said he enjoys staying active in the community. He sponsors numerous youth sports teams, puts on displays at health fairs and schools and gives lectures on diabetes throughout the region.

Urgicare of the Northeast is a sponsor of the Altona Haunted Walk each year, in conjunction with the Saranac Technical Rescue Team.

"We had 400 people in one night last year," he said.

As if all that weren't enough, Beach was elected to the Clinton County Legislature last fall and now represents Area 2.

VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR

Kim and Michael Murray and Ed and Bernadine Martin were honored as the 2011 Volunteers of the Year.

"I don't know what to say. This is really a surprise," Mr. Martin said.

The Murrays were unable to attend the event.

Chamber Executive Vice President Jody Parks said the two couples were among the many people and businesses who responded when the chamber had to evacuate everything when it was flooded last spring.

She said the two board members and their spouses are being recognized for the time and energy they devote to the chamber all year long but especially for their help during the spring crisis.

"Kim and Michael Murray and Ed and Bernadine Martin slogged through the water when it was at its highest point to help the chamber staff move everything out of the building," she said by email.

"It certainly wasn't glamorous or easy, but the Murrays and Martins never lost their sense of humor. They are devoted to the chamber and the community, and we thank them for their support."

Mr. Martin said it was their pleasure to show up to help the chamber in its hour of need, because the chamber does so much for the community.

Email Dan Heath at:

dheath@pressrepublican.com