Veteran-owned Empire Tram to serve as Marine Innovations dealer

INTERLAKEN, N.Y. — Empire Tram, a veteran-owned company in Interlaken in Seneca County, is now a dealer for Marine Innovations, Inc. of Frazee, Minnesota.

Marine Innovations has manufactured and installed inclined elevators, hillside elevators, lift systems, lakeside trams, and residential funiculars for more than 30 years, per its website. It serves customers in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. As a dealer, Empire Tram will serve Finger Lakes residents with a “safer, more convenient” alternative to waterfront stairs, Marine Innovations said in an Aug. 13 announcement. Servicing upstate New York, Empire Tram specializes in Marine Innovations’ inclined elevator sales, installations, and service. David and Jessica Siurano are the owners of Empire Tram. David is a U.S. Army veteran “whose discipline and dedication continue to shape the values” of their businesses, Marine Innovations said. Jessica brings her experience and leadership from her work at Cornell University, contributing to the operations and growth of their ventures, the Minnesota company noted. Recognizing the need in New York for this kind of service, the Siuranos launched Empire Tram this year with the goal of helping residents gain easier, safer access to their waterfront properties, per the Marine Innovations announcement. Empire Tram is a year-round business with installations typically in the period between April and December, depending on weather and temperature, Jessica Siurano wrote in a Sept. 10 email response to a CNYBJ inquiry. The company sells, installs, and services trams/lakeside elevators, she added. Besides the Siuranos, Empire Tram has one employee, but Jessica also told CNYBJ they hope to hire additional workers as the business grows. In addition to Empire Tram, David Siurano also owns Siurano and Son, LLC, a construction company specializing in painting, drywall, deck and dock restoration, and Trex installations. Describing them as high-school sweethearts, Marine Innovations also noted that David and Jessica are the proud parents of two children: Devon, a U.S. Army paratrooper, and Kara, a student at the University at Buffalo