Empire Merchant”™s North, also known in Kingston as Colony Liquors, is exploring moving to a business park off Thruway Exit 21B in Greene County. At least some Ulster County officials are supporting the idea, because it would allow current employees to continue working, albeit with longer traveling time to work.
Colony Liquor has 200 employees at its warehouse shipping complex in Kingston, a facility that will be merged with their affiliated Empire Merchant warehouse facility currently located in Albany. The companies, which are also partners with the larger Charmer-Sunbelt Group, have been publicly discussing need for new facilities for several years. In January, Colony Liquors announced it was leaving Kingston, but gave no details.
There is still no timetable for the departure and no certain destination. “We”™ve had discussions with them, but we”™ve had no deal, there”™s been no final agreements,” said Greene County Industrial Development Agency Executive Director Alexander “Sandy” Mathes. “We”™re in the discussion phase.”
Mathes said besides the business park”™s location adjacent the Thruway and the Conrail tracks it has another advantage. “Company officials like the proximity of being in the middle of two consolidations, which would allow the current work force to be able to stay with the company,” said Mathes. “We view this as being good for the Ulster County work force and the Albany work force. “
The site would be a shovel ready parcel in the new Greene County business park he said, saying he had no additional information. He said the Greene County is now awaiting the company”™s decision. “We have given them all the information and they are doing due diligence,” Mathes said, adding there is no timetable for a decision.
Laura Peet, spokesperson with Charmer Sunbelt, said things are undecided, “There is no update. We do hope to have an update soon.”
Exit 21B is in the town of Coxsackie. Greene County is promoting business development parcels there along a stretch of Route 9W.
Kingston Mayor James Sottile, who worked with Ulster County IDA officials to convince Colony Liquor to expand and renovate its Kingston warehouse, said he is resigned to losing the company. But he said if the company must go, he favors the Greene County location and would be willing to authorize documents that would allow the company to take the Empire Development Zone benefits with them from Kingston to the new locale.
“I put the best deal I could on the table,” Sottile said. “It”™s just a matter of the other partners don”™t want to come down here. I made the best deal I possibly could and it wasn”™t good enough.So I would support them going to Greene County, because it”™s driveable. The employees who live in Kingston can still work there. If they don”™t go to Greene County, who knows where they might go, and take the jobs with them.”
