Monday, April 10, 2006

Fulton shuts off water to chocolate factory


Fulton shut off water service today to New York Chocolate and Confections after the company failed to pay its $100,000 water and sewer bill.

“We shut it off about 1 p.m.,” said Fulton Mayor Daryl Hayden. “We gave 20 days notice but haven’t heard anything from them.”

Earlier, Hayden had said that the city would shut off water service to if it did not receive at least $30,000 toward the bill.
Hayden said the city had planned to shut off service on Friday, but reports of a fund transfer from the company’s Ivory Coast owners to pay back payroll for its workers led the city to extend its deadline.

“We’ve heard nothing, seen nothing today,” Hayden said.
However, L. Michael Treadwell, executive director of Operation Oswego County, said another transfer for creditors also was sent last week to New York Chocolate’s law firm in Philadelphia.

“What we’ve been told is that it is enough to take care of arrears for all the creditors,” he said today. “We don’t know if the money is in place in U.S. accounts yet.”
Treadwell said company CEO Jean-Claude Amon confirmed the international transfer of funds.

Fulton chocolate factory has no plans to close

Friday March 10 2006

The CEO of New York Chocolate and Confection said Friday that his company has no plans to close the Fulton plant.

"We are committed to meeting our long term goals of bringing full-fledged chocolate production back to Fulton," Jean-Claude Amon said in a statement this morning.
A day after Fulton Mayor Daryl Hayden said the company was on the verge of closing due to lack of funding from Africa, Amon said the company was "experiencing a delay in funding from its investors in Ivory Coast. Amon blamed the delay on changing trade and agricultural regulations in the Ivory Coast.

As a matter of fact, recent decisions made at the level of the Cocoa Board stressed the commitment of the shareholders to solve, once and for all, the financial situation of New York Chocolate after having funded $26 million and kept in place 75 employees," Amon said.
The company has no plans to lay off workers, he said.
Amon, and company creditors, had been waiting for officials in the Ivory Coast to release money the factory needs to operate. Oswego County Legislature Chairman Russ Johnson, R-Fulton, said the company was due $8.3 million.

Without the money coming in, Fulton Mayor Daryl Hayden said Thursday he expected the plant to shut down today. The plant employs 70 people.

CEO: Fulton chocolate factory has no plans to close


The CEO of New York Chocolate and Confection said Friday that his company has no plans to close the Fulton plant.
"We are committed to meeting our long term goals of bringing full-fledged chocolate production back to Fulton," Jean-Claude Amon said in a statement this morning.
A day after Fulton Mayor Daryl Hayden said the company was on the verge of closing due to lack of funding from Africa, Amon said the company was "experiencing a delay in funding from its investors in Ivory Coast." Amon blamed the delay on changing trade and agricultural regulations in the Ivory Coast.
"As a matter of fact, recent decisions made at the level of the Cocoa Board stressed the commitment of the shareholders to solve, once and for all, the financial situation of New York Chocolate after having funded $26 million and kept in place 75 employees," Amon said.
The company has no plans to lay off workers, he said.
Amon, and company creditors, had been waiting for officials in the Ivory Coast to release money the factory needs to operate. Oswego County Legislature Chairman Russ Johnson, R-Fulton, said the company was due $8.3 million.
Without the money coming in, Fulton Mayor Daryl Hayden said Thursday he expected the plant to shut down today. The plant employs 70 people.