Syracuse tech firm wants to manufacture in Ogdensburg

OGDENSBURG — The Maple City has attracted the attention of a technology company that could generate economic activity in an area desperate for jobs.

Ephesus Technologies LLC, a Syracuse nanotechnology firm, is looking at Ogdensburg to manufacture some of its products.

The company has the backing of the North Country Regional Economic Development Council, one of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s 10 regional councils designed to spur growth.

“We have been working with the north country council and other councils around the state,” said Brian S. Abbe, Ephesus vice president. “We’re happy to have their support.”

The council made the Ephesus Technologies project one of its priorities.

“This is a high-tech project. It is returning high-tech manufacturing to the region,” said Anthony G. Collins, president of Clarkson University, Potsdam, and council co-chairman. “It is also a green project.”

Ephesus Technologies is planning to use the facility of Ansen Inc. at the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority’s Commerce Park to manufacture light-emitting diode, or LED, lights. “We looked at Ansen and it had everything we needed,” Mr. Abbe said. “We liked that the location wasn’t too far away, too.”

The firm was founded by two former Lockheed-Martin engineers, Mr. Abbe and Joseph Casper, the company’s president and CEO. The two established a location in the TechGarden, a technology business incubator in Syracuse, where they employ a staff of 11.

Ephesus has partnered with universities such as Clarkson and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, to develop and test new compounds and substances.

“We think there is great potential and opportunity for developing high-tech industry in Northern New York,” Mr. Abbe said.

Ogdensburg’s proximity to Clarkson made it an attractive choice for Ephesus.

Ephesus has found a way to make a more efficient LED by binding gallium nitride, a component in all LEDs, to diamond.

“So far, it has been used in applications like radio frequency amplifiers, but we have used it to develop a new kind of LED,” Mr. Abbe said.

The product uses less electricity and has a longer life span than other LEDs. The company is just moving past the prototype phase with an outdoor LED lighting fixture.

“We are making outdoor LED light fixtures, and we have a streetlight fixture in development,” Mr. Abbe said. He said the streetlight fixture also could be built in Ogdensburg.

The project meets many of the criteria for funding established by the North Country Regional Economic Development Council.

“We wanted to establish the greenest economy in the state and return to this style of business, manufacturing,” Mr. Collins said. “The technology could be further developed and enhanced through (research and development) and it could become a bigger development.”

Mr. Collins said the company’s connections to Central New York and Ogdensburg’s proximity to the Canadian border also make it a strong project.

“We want industries that can cross the border and trade with Canada,” he said.

In addition to the potential for 100 manufacturing jobs in the city, the company is looking to establish a research and development facility employing up to 25 engineers.

“We want it somewhere between the Ansen facility and Clarkson University,” Mr. Abbe said.

While competition is tight for the $1 billion in funds Gov. Cuomo has made available for the councils across the state, Mr. Abbe said Ephesus is optimistic about its chances.

“We have a lot of eggs in a lot of baskets,” Mr. Abbe said. “But this is as good a project as you’ll find.”

Mr. Collins said the company will have an answer soon.

“Next Thursday, the governor will announce funding for four regions’ worth of projects,” he said.

“We’re on the edge of our chairs waiting for the announcement,” he said.