Publisher’s View

The North Country has gone through a difficult time in the past 15-18 months, although I think most would admit, not as difficult as some areas of the country.

One of the regions that has been most challenged is the Northern Tier. After a near death experience when Wyeth announced its closure, the region was buoyed by the news that Akrimax would buy its facility. And then came the news of Pfizer’s acquisition of Wyeth in October of last year, followed quickly by the announcement of huge job losses in Rouses Point, the closing of the Chazy Research Facility and its Plattsburgh warehouse.

Once again the North Country Chamber of Commerce and its partners in economic development sprang into action and are now working hard to turn lemons into lemonade. It is a difficult task at a difficult time, but if any group can be successful it is that one. The core of the group learned its survival skills when Plattsburgh Air Force Base was closed in the mid 1990’s. At that time few thought there would be a good outcome and yet, 15 years later the redevelopment effort is in its final stage. Hats off to all who have been involved.

Make no mistake. The Pfizer closing is a bitter pill to swallow (forgive the pun). The impact of the closings will spread across the North Country economy as people lose jobs and local companies lose a valuable customer.

It is easy to throw up our hands and complain about the harsh blows the North Country has been dealt in recent years. Rather we should focus on our ingenuity and resourcefulness. We don’t give up. We persevere. We survive. And that’s good for business.