Opinion
EDITORIAL: Work ethic truly paid off
Akrimax could just as easily be settling in Cincinnati, Southern California or North Carolina as Rouses Point. Surely, it would be looking forward to more favorable taxes and fees if it did. The biggest reason CEO Joseph Krivulka and his colleagues chose Rouses Point, among several, is the people who work there for Wyeth.
The people of Rouses Point and the entire North Country need to know that. Krivulka, speaking to about 200 people last week at a breakfast meeting set up by the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce and, later, to the Press-Republican's Editorial Board, was most definite about what appealed to him about Rouses Point. It was a workforce that not only was skilled at what it did but was principled and reliable. According to Krivulka, that is not a commodity to be taken for granted.
"People are different everywhere," is how he put it. "We don't see those qualities everywhere."
To the breakfast attendees, he listed three reasons for choosing Rouses Point: a physical plant second to none, the opportunity to forge an arrangement suitable for both buyer and seller, and, most important of the three, the workforce.
He listed five characteristics common to Wyeth employees: integrity, respect, dedication, creativity and professionalism. They are values people in the North Country expect from each other, but they can be elusive elsewhere, he said. More than any other factor, that is why Akrimax bought the Rouses Point Wyeth plant and plans to be here permanently. And that is in spite of what he readily acknowledges are unattractive taxes the state will extract.
He said New York's two governors during the company's courtship -- Republican George Pataki and Democrat Eliot Spitzer -- were very helpful and eager to help Akrimax establish residence here, especially Pataki. And Sen. Hillary Clinton may be more responsible than anyone -- with the possible exception of chamber President Garry Douglas -- for arranging the deal.
As Krivulka assesses where Akrimax is and where it hopes to be, the biggest problem the company faces is the speed in getting products introduced into the process. As Wyeth tapers off, Akrimax wants to accelerate its own manufacture.
Akrimax was undoubtedly evidence of ideal opportunism on the part of both buyer and seller of the plant. Wyeth wanted out but was concerned about the people who were working there, as well as scaling down production. Akrimax wanted in, but it generally takes two years or more for a manufacturer to be fully operational. Akrimax's purchase gives Wyeth time to phase out and Akrimax time to phase in. It's a perfectly symbiotic relationship.
But it wouldn't be happening if North Country people hadn't proven to be ideal employees with all the attention to mission any company could expect.
From that standpoint, the workers at Akrimax can thank themselves for their suddenly bright future.
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