Capstones
Graduation Date
Fall 12-16-2018
Grading Professor
Greg David
Subject Concentration
Business & Economics
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Abstract
A close business relationship with Canada has allowed Plattsburgh to thrive as a manufacturing town. Over 100 Quebec-based companies operate there, and 15 percent of the workforce in the county gets its paycheck from a Canadian company. Even more impressive, this comes at a time when manufacturing jobs are declining nationwide. While factories are shutting down across the rust belt, in Plattsburgh they are opening up.
There is just one problem.
All of this was made possible by the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. And just this April, the Trump administration abruptly threatened to pull out of the agreement, leveraging tariffs on Canadian goods and making business between the two countries much more costly. So far, companies like Novabus have absorbed whatever price increases have come their way, and the USMCA has provided some relief, but the situation is far from over.
The protracted and ongoing trade tensions, not to mention the bitter rhetoric between the two countries, has caused significant harm to the cross-border relationship, and the future of Plattsburgh’s economy is still uncertain.
Recommended Citation
Cutler, Matt and Carey, Isaac, "Trade Rout: As Trade Tensions Built Between U.S. And Canada, This American Border Town Felt The Freeze" (2018). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gj_etds/313
Runway at Plattsburgh International Airport Photo: Isaac Carey, 2018.
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Graphic 1. Isaac Carey, 2018.
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Graphic 2. Isaac Carey, 2018.
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Garry Douglas in his office at the North Country Chamber of Commerce in Plattsburgh, New York. Photo: Matt Cutler, 2018.
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Outside the North Country Chamber of Commerce in Plattsburgh, New York. Photo: Matt Cutler, 2018.
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The North Country Chamber of Commerce in Plattsburgh, New York. Photo: Matt Cutler, 2018.
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A bilingual sign outside the North Country Chamber of Commerce in Plattsburgh, New York. Photo: Matt Cutler, 2018.
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Nancy Neubrand, a teacher at the Institute of Advanced Manufacturing at Clinton Community College in Plattsburgh, NY. Photo: Isaac Carey, 2018.
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Derek Bradt, a technician at Novabus in Plattsburgh, New York. photo: Matt Cutler, 2018.
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Derek Bradt, a technician at Novabus in Plattsburgh, New York. photo: Matt Cutler, 2018.
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The Novabus factory in Plattsburgh, New York, opened in 2009. photo: Matt Cutler, 2018.
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The Novabus factory in Plattsburgh, New York, opened in 2009. photo: Matt Cutler, 2018.
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Paul Grasso, president and CEO of The Development Corporation. A photo hangs showing one of TDC's three business parks. photo: Matt Cutler, 2018.
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Victoria Duley, an economic developer with The Development Corporation. The company acts as a non profit, working hand in hand with the chamber of commerce and other business groups in the North Country. photo: Matt Cutler, 2018.
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The newly bi-lingual water tower in Plattsburgh, New York. photo: Isaac Carey, 2018.
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A digital billboard in Plattsburgh. "Find employment with a local manufacturer today!" photo: Matt Cutler, 2018
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Planes, Trains, Automobiles and Camels. Matt Cutler, 2018
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Where The Rubber Meets The Road. Matt Cutler, 2018