Originally published Sep. 8, 2023 in Olean Times Herald. Written by Rick Miller. Link to original source.
Olean is about to get greener.
Ellicottville Greens, a company that has developed a vertical growing system to fit in storage containers, has found a home in Olean.
Gabe Bialkowski, president of Ellicottville Greens, confirmed Thursday the company plans to install their vertical growing systems outside the Olean Times Herald building on Norton Drive.
He did not disclose a start date, but said more news would be forthcoming soon. Some containers that will house vertical growing systems have already been delivered and more will arrive soon, Bialkowski said.
Bialkowski’s background is not in agriculture, but technology. He’s an RIT software engineering graduate. He recruited an agriculture expert and has a team of qualified people to tend to the faming.
The Times Herald headquarters was sold in August by Bradford Publishing Co. to a limited liability corporation owned by Allegany businessman R. Donald Benson, who is leasing space to Ellicottville Greens. The Times Herald is also leasing space for news and business operations. Benson said additional office and commercial space in the building remains to be leased. A building permit for renovations was issued early last month.
Ellicottville Greens will utilize space inside the building for processing and packaging as many as 20 types of greens such as lettuce, herbs and micro-greens in vertical spaces inside the outdoor storage containers with computer-controlled LED lighting and nutrient delivery systems.
Ellicottville Greens looked at other properties Benson has in the Olean area, but the Times Herald building fit the bill.
The shipping containers that house the growing operations will remain outdoors while processing and packaging will take place inside.
Company headquarters will remain in Ellicottville. Ellicottville Greens bills itself as “the largest sustainable vertical farm in Western New York.” The crops can be grown in as little as three to four weeks.
The company has been operating the business out of a number of the storage containers in the Buffalo area for several years. It also purchased another Buffalo vertical farm in 2021.
Ellicottville Greens was a $5,000 winner in the Laine business competition last year.
Besides selling its produce wholesale, Ellicottville Greens also markets its products to restaurants, schools and individual subscriptions. It also markets and manages the vertical growing systems in other markets.
Ellicottville Greens had initially hoped to build a facility on Simmons Road in Ellicottville, but the site was found not to be suitable. The Olean area was then surveyed for a site, which led to leasing the Times Herald building.
The Fitzpatrick family, owners of the Times Herald at the time, moved their operations from Times Square in Olean’s downtown to their new building on Norton Drive on Labor Day weekend in 1969.
Times Herald publisher Jim Bonn said, “Since the move of the pre-press, press and post-press operations to Bradford, Pa. as well as the purchase of the adjoining building to the plant, which allows for newsprint and other storage, the 20,000-plus square feet in Olean far outweighed what was needed for the administrative part of our operation.”
Bonn added: “The sale of the building and land to Olean Industrial Park, and then leasing back what we need to maintain our editorial, circulation, advertising and business operations within the same building that we have been operating in for more than 50 years is a real plus for the Olean Times Herald and positions us well for years to come.”
(Contact reporter Rick Miller at rmiller@oleantimesherald.com.)
