Sherrill, NY (WIBX) - A new company is officially off the ground in Sherrill. With assistance from Mohawk Valley EDGE to secure a $38,000 capital loan, along with financial backing in the amount of $20,000 from an Oneida County Microenterprise Grant--Noble Wood Shavings Company joined the other 17 tenants at Sherrill Manufacturing.

Co-owner, Jason DiBenedetto says beyond manufacturing wood shavings used for horse bedding, the company also provides an option for loggers needing to sell their unused soft wood. He said, "In recent years a lot of the soft wood market has gone elsewhere, a lot of these guys now have to chip it up and take it all the way up to Glens Falls, placing like that, and also up in Booneville where they can deliver soft wood, but a lot of the guys I've talked to are excited about this because they say, 'Oh wow!' this is somewhere we can take our soft wood and we can get money for it."

County Executive Anthony Picente, Jr., who toured the plant says the opening of Noble Wood Shavings shows that the County is investing in small businesses. "It really shows that the County and Mohawk Valley EDGE and Mohawk Valley Economic Development District, that we are investing in small companies, that we know that that's the heart still of the economy, and that a small company like this, although hiring the 5 or so employees, has really been the back bone and really continues to be what can drive this economy and increase productivity," he said.

Picente goes onto say that anyone interested in starting their own business can do so. "It's really having a business plan in place and the wherewithal to prove that you have a viable company in the making, which Noble Wood Shavings has clearly done, and then hopefully you'll be eligible for grant dollars or loan dollars from Mohawk Valley EDGE."

Mary Rizzo, VP Marketing and Communications at Mohawk Valley EDGE, says another MV EDGE project--an Aquaponic Farm--will soon be unveiled at Sherrill Manufacturing, a place she referred to as, "the burgeoning Mecca for start up businesses." She explained the soon to be unveiled company as, "It's a farm, if you will, where they're raising basil, their first crop, but it will be a self sustaining ecosystem where Talapia fish grows underneath so their waste becomes a fertilizer for the crop." She says the fish and herbs will be sold to local restaurants and other markets.

Matt Roberts is President and Co-owner of Sherrill Manufacturing. He said his company was born out of the factory closing of Oneida Limited--a company forced to relocate its silverware production overseas. Roberts is a former Executive at Oneida Limited who ran the operation, and he along with another Executive who ran a similar operation in Mexico, Greg Owens, purchased the facility in 2005.

He said, "With the idea that we were going to continue with some  manufacturing of some flatware, which we've run into some hard times with that but we hope to revitalize that. But the other idea was, we have 90 acres of land, we have a million square feet under roof, we have municipal power, we have a local government that works well with us, and we have the infrastructure here to create what we would like to call a mini industrial park of companies like our selfs, that were started with just two people that had an idea, and to boot strap them selfs  and start from little or nothing and work together."

Roberts says there is still over 400o square feet of space immediately available for rent at Sherrill Manufacturing . He said the area can accommodate between 10 and 20 more small companies looking for a place to get off the ground. Officials say the grand opening of the Aquaponic Farm company will be announced soon.  For more information about Noble Wood Shavings Company go to, www.noblewoodshavings.com, or contact the group at (315) 813-2911. For information on Sherrill Manufactoring visit, www.sherrillmfg.com.

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