Cortland Standard .net

By COLLEEN SIUZDAK
Staff Reporter
csiuzdak@cortlandstandard.net
LAPEER — After moving from Colorado last year to start his business, Matt Timmins, co-owner of Automated Biomass Systems in Lapeer, said Tuesday he has made it past the winter months to start full production of machines that aim to promote the use of wood as a fuel source.
Empty space and echoes filled the big room of the old Forkey’s Construction and Fabrication Inc. building at 2235 Clarks Corners Road, now filled with equipment and prototypes that will be used to perfect the various types of machines that will be used to do things like create wood pellets or split firewood.
“That’s what our aim is. To bring the cost of handling firewood down ... where it can be easily handled by a homeowner,” Timmins said. He hopes to encourage people to heat their homes with wood. “It’s still way more effective to heat a home with firewood.”
Automated Biomass Systems builds the machines that are sold to companies that provide wood materials as an energy source. He hopes to one day expand sales of his machines to homeowners.
Some machines Timmins has to offer would grind and shave wood materials. He also plans to design machines to package small fire logs.
Production time of a machine can take days, but Timmins said he is confident in his mechanics’ abilities to keep the business running.
Timmins said he hopes the company will continuously work on new projects to meet the needs of the companies to which he sells.
Truxton resident Levi Sutton, one of the engineers at the company, was working on a design for an automatic wood splitter which Sutton said could be easily used by any homeowner. The prices for a wood splitter can range from $1,000 to $13,000. Timmins said this splitter would cost around $7,500.
“We’re trying to do a high-end homeowner to industrial wood splitter design,” Sutton said, adding that it is hard for a homeowner to find a “good” and “affordable” wood splitter. “It’s much more automatic than a typical wood splitter.”
Since officially starting his business in October with co-owner Matt Dubitzky, Timmins has added 10 employees to his company, including five mechanics, a marketing manager, an office manager and three engineers.
Timmins added he would like to add about five more mechanics at the shop once the business starts receiving and perfecting more orders for equipment. He also would like to add one more engineer and one full-time production manager to oversee the mechanics in the shop.
Cortland County Business Development Corp. Chief Financial Officer Karen Niday said Wednesday afternoon she has been working with the company to help them get settled and connect to any resources they need.
“It’s been amazing to watch them on how efficient they were,” Niday said, adding she helped Forkey’s move into that same building, which started out with about 12 employees. Forkey’s moved into a larger facility on Luker Road in Cortlandville in December after the business grew.
Timmins said he is grateful that the BDC was able to help him find qualified workers to handle the work he expects for his company, also adding the building has been a big draw for him to start his company in Lapeer.
“So far, we’ve been glad to come out here,” Timmins said, adding with Niday’s help, he has been working with Tompkins Cortland Community College and SUNY Cortland to find candidates for his open positions.
Niday added that working with businesses that are open to younger employees is good for the community because it gives recent high school graduates and college students a chance to get into the work force.
“That’s why I love working with this company,” Niday said. “He’s (Timmins) so open to working with innovative ideas.”
Timmins hopes to train the younger employees to eventually become masters of the trade.
“I have some really good guys here who have experience and will teach younger people the right thing to do here,” Timmins said. “If you give a guy an opportunity to learn ... he’ll step up to the plate and learn.”