Q&A
By Stefan Yablonski with back in South Carolina and Georgia. Scoot around a little bit. Probably grab a suitcase every once in a while and take a little trip. I’ve got a lot of things that I’d like to be doing but haven’t due to work commitments. My wife retired from teaching about five or six years ago. She’s been waiting for me to get free time so we can take some extended trips. We’ll be going back down south, South Carolina and Georgia, where I’m from. We have some friends in Florida, too. So probably some trips down there. Q: So, you are going to stay warm. A: Yes. I don’t want to travel to colder weather so we will be headed to warmer climates. I’m probably going to have to develop some new hobbies and stuff —my current hobby has been work. Q: How would you describe your time in Oswego County?
A: I’ve had a lot of fun. I’ve had a lot of challenges, also. I kind of got separated from the family the last few years. Now I can get back into the family mode. My wife was down in New Jersey most of the time; we have a house down there and she wanted to be closer to the grandkids. And I was up here most of the time.
Outgoing OOC Director Reflects on His Tenure Talks about losing companies — Nestle, Miller Brewing — retainting others
L
. Michael Treadwell is stepping down at the end of the year from his position as executive director of Operation Oswego County after nearly four decades of service. He joined Operation Oswego County in 1983 and has served as executive director throughout his tenure.
A: I have plenty to keep me busy. I have a couple little 4-year-old grandkids. Both of my daughters, one lives in Manhattan and one lives in New Jersey — I’ll be around them a lot and doing things. I’ll have an opportunity to, you know, run around a little bit.
Q: It’s early December and you are still very
Q: So, you are planning to do some trav-
busy tying up lose ends here at Operation Oswego County. Are you looking forward
to being able to slow down after you retire?
eling, too?
A: We’ll visit some friends I’ve worked
62 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS DECEMBER 2022 / JANUARY 2023
Q: What are you most proud of? A: I was in economic development in South Carolina, working for the state in South Carolina for about 11 years before I moved up here. I was working at the state level. Came up here and faced a different challenge because I was at the local level. They (OOC) had a lot of good programs that had been successful. Probably what I am most proud of is, over time, coming here and turning the organization in to a — it was more of a one project by one project type of structure — we turned it into a more comprehensive and diversified economic development agency. They were just starting to build the industrial park and that has turned out to be very, very successful. Q: Anything else? A: The Broadwell hotel that was a major project. The Captain’s Quarters Best Western. That entire strip, right up to now with the water park — a massive project that’s close to my heart. The other thing is how we all worked together to
