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  Pictured with the Speaker in the first photo at the Bombardier Plattsburgh Manufactuing Plant (left to right) Assemblymember Billy Jones and Gary Douglas, North Country-Plattsburgh Chamber of Commerce.

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  Pictured with the Speaker in the second photo Warren Boley, President and CEO of Norsk Titanium.

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  Pictured with the Speaker in the third photo SUNY Plattsburgh Education Opportunity Program Students and Assemblymember Billy Jones.

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  Pictured with the Speaker in the fourth photo Gary Douglass, North Country-Plattsburgh Chamber of Commerce and Assemblymember Billy Jones.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie today joined Assemblymember Billy Jones for another stop on his statewide regional tour to visit the Plattsburgh region. During the trip, Heastie and Jones visited two local manufacturing facilities, met with students from SUNY Plattsburgh and experienced the beauty of historic Lake Champlain on a scenic boat tour.

"Visiting different regions around the state is always a humbling reminder of how fortunate we are to live in such a beautiful state with so much to offer," said Heastie. "Today's visit allowed us the opportunity to see some of the state's investments firsthand, as well as the potential for future growth within the region. The Assembly Majority has long been a tireless advocate for economic growth and educational opportunities for every community across the state."

"As a lifelong North Country resident, I have always seen the potential for growth and success in the communities I now have the privilege of serving," said Assemblymember Jones. "Speaker Heastie's visit today reassures all New Yorkers that the Assembly's leadership cares about the challenges and strengths of our region and will continue to shape its legislative agenda to address each and every community across the state."

The first stop in Plattsburgh during today's visit was to the Bombardier manufacturing plant. The facility was initially opened in 1995 to support projects for the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), but has since expanded its operations to include rail car distribution to customers nationwide. The company prides itself on bringing high-skill, well-paying jobs to the communities in which they operate. Since opening the site, Bombardier has invested more than $25 million in its Plattsburgh facility.

The pair also made a stop at Norsk Titanium, a Plattsburgh manufacturing facility that discovered and industrialized a game-changing additive manufacturing technology for the production of aerospace-grade titanium structures. Prior to the technology, titanium was often regarded as expensive and inefficient to process. Norsk Titanium's process has opened new markets by improving the performance and efficiency of titanium. The Speaker and Assemblymember Jones then met with Education Opportunity Program (EOP) students at SUNY Plattsburgh. Since taking on the role of Assembly Speaker, Heastie has dedicated himself to expanding educational opportunities for economically disadvantaged students through increased investments in higher education opportunity programs including EOP.

The last stop for Heastie and Jones included a boat tour of one of the state's most popular destinations for recreational boaters, Lake Champlain. On the lake, Heastie and Jones stopped to see historic Valcour Island, accessible only by boat. The island is protected by New York's Adirondack Park and is classified as primitive, meaning it's managed to achieve and maintain a condition as close to wilderness as possible.