Utica Area Manufacturer Receives Pollution Prevention Award

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Sumax Cycle products of Oriskany. N.Y. received the P2 Achievement Award from the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute, located at RIT, Oct. 14. Pictured from left to right are: Paul MacEnroe, director of the Mohawk Valley Applied Technology Corporation; Kirk Van Scoten, owner of Sumax Cycle Products; RoAnn Destito, New York State Assemblywoman; and Anahita Williamson, director of the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute.

The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute, housed at Rochester Institute of Technology, has given its first P2 Achievement Award to Sumax Cycle Products, a manufacturer of saddlebags for high end motorcycles. The company, based in Oriskany, N.Y., is recognized for its efforts to reduce overall air emissions and solid waste in its production processes, and its pollution prevention partnership with the Mohawk Valley Applied Technology Corp.

Sumax received the award during a ceremony Oct. 14 at its corporate headquarters, which included Assemblywoman RoAnn Destito, and representatives from the Pollution Prevention Institute, Mohawk Valley Applied Technology and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

“Sumax’s experience illustrates that reducing its environmental footprint can have a direct impact on a company’s bottom line, as Sumax saw a 40 percent reduction in manufacturing costs through its pollution prevention efforts,” notes Anahita Williamson, director of the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute. “We are proud to be presenting Sumax with the P2 Achievement Award for its accomplishments and dedication to making New York state more sustainable and economically competitive.”

“We are very excited about the potential for improving the environmental as well as financial performance of companies in the state,” says Jeffrey Sama, the Department of Environmental Conservation’s director of Environmental Permits and Pollution Prevention. “The Pollution Prevention Institute and its partners such as the Mohawk Valley Applied Technology Corp. offer a tremendous service helping businesses go green and save green.”

The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute’s mission is to provide a statewide, comprehensive program of technology research, development and diffusion, outreach with training and education aimed at making New York state more sustainable. As a component of the institute’s mission and its commitment to working with its statewide partners, the P2 Achievement Award is designed to acknowledge organizations such as Sumax that are working to prevent pollution through improved manufacturing processes.

Sumax worked with Mohawk Valley Applied Technology Corp. to assess its current environmental footprint and redesign operations to reduce waste generation and air pollution while also increasing the efficiency and productivity of their manufacturing processes.

“We have been able to improve quality, produce our product much faster, lower our cost and improve employee safety while significantly benefiting the environment,” says Kirk Van Scoten, Sumax’s owner.

“Sumax is a responsible corporate citizen that demonstrates a company can be environmentally friendly and improve its bottom line,” notes Paul MacEnroe, director of the Mohawk Valley Applied Technology Corp.

Assemblywoman Destito praised the company for its efforts and also noted that these types of partnerships illustrate how the state is assisting New York industries in becoming more competitive while also improving environmental quality.

“I am especially pleased that Sumax is among a number of businesses and industries here in the Mohawk Valley region that are reducing utility consumption and utilizing green technologies and practices,” Destito says. “This helps our environment and the quality of life in the Mohawk Valley region, but it ultimately benefits the company by lowering its production costs and overhead.”

The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute is housed at RIT and provides statewide, comprehensive and integrated programs in research, outreach and training and education aimed at making New York state more sustainable for workers, the public, the environment and the economy. The institute was created in 2008 through a grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Additional partners include Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Clarkson University, State University of New York at Buffalo and New York’s 10 Regional Technology Development Centers.