Strapp and Wozny on what's coming down the pipe

Sault Ste. Marie is going through some challenging economic times but it will recover, says Bruce Strapp, the city's Economic Development Corporation (EDC) Chief Executive Officer.

"It's going through some rather unique challenges and times when there are still questions about what it is," he told Council at last night's meeting.

Strapp and Development Sault Ste. Marie Executive Director Mike Wozny (shown) were at Council's meeting to give a 'State of the Economy' presentation.

Their message was basically that things aren't great right now but they aren't as bad as some people believe and they are going to get better.

They outlined a number of upcoming projects in the private and public sector, saying these projects are still possible, even in the present world credit crisis.

What's coming down the pipe, according to Wozny and Strapp:

- POD Generating Group's $400 million Solar Energy Project

- Two Co-generation plants

- A bio-diesel plant

- At least one waste-to-energy project

- New opportunities in forest product industry sector exports

- Mining and heavy equipment supply manufacturing expansion

- Establishment in Edmonton of a new office that will help establish at least one local company in the oil-sands development initiatives

They also said projects currently underway in the Sault are continuing on course, despite world market conditions.

These include an office building on Great Northern Road, the $10 million tour train coaches expected to be ready by the next season and construction of the new Sault Area Hospital.

They also talked about some projects that are in very early stages.

- $7 - $10 million IT related businesses

- $30 - $40 million, 100,000 square foot manufacturing facility (non-steel industry)

- $15 million 100,000 square foot industrial park building

- New and unusual tour train coaches.

Strapp and Wozny also said infrastructure upgrades to three Sault Ste. Marie infrastructures would be starting soon.

These include a new international bridge plaza for people, not mice, a new deep water port and upgrades to the rail system servicing the city.

Wozny said Saultites can look forward to construction of a new raw material processing facility and a mineral processing and manufacturing plant in the Sault in the not too distant future.

He also said a it looks like a Seattle based manufacturing company may relocate to and expand in Sault Ste. Marie.

Wozny also talked about other hoped-for developments in the alternative energy sector.

These projects include one to creating bio-diesel from algae, a pyrolysis project, and one that would use hydrogen to store energy in off-peak times.

Strapp also talked about NCO, a local call centre that announced it will be closing its doors and leaving the Sault at the end of November.

"They still have an 18 month lease on the building and that's prime real estate in the heart of the downtown," he said. "We're hoping they will be in a position to offer a sub-lease agreement so we can get someone in there who may be willing to take it over when the lease runs out."

Strapp also said most of the employees at NCO already have a new job lined up for when the doors close.

"There was a career fair a few weeks ago," Strapp said.

He said that Essar Steel Algoma is still the Sault's largest employer and it is vulnerable to steel market fluctuations.

At the conclusion of the presentation, Sault Mayor John Rowswell commented that the EDC's stated goal of economic diversification is serving the city well.

He said that, while the city wants to help its primary employer Essar Steel Algoma through this time of soft markets, it also wants to pursue other economically complementary interests that will help stabilize its economy through steel fluctuations.