Bates Troy’s Ara Kradjian Passes On

Posted February 7, 2018 at 4:47 pm



Ara Kradjian, 84, the owner/executive at Bates Troy Inc., Binghamton, NY, passed away on Feb. 3 after an illness. His son, Brian, who succeeded Ara as president of Bates Troy, recalled a hard-working, outgoing business leader who was involved in numerous local enterprises. “He was in a lot of businesses, but laundry was always near and dear to his heart,” Brian said.

Despite his illness, Ara continued to come to the plant whenever he could. “They gave him a 6-9 month diagnosis,” Brian said. “He outlived that. He never stopped ‘living.’ He came to work. He socialized a bit. People were coming over. He loved life and he loved people.” When a Textile Services magazine editor visited the plant in October 2017 to research an article on the company’s combined heat and power (CHP) or cogen system, Ara attended a meeting with a smile and an infectious enthusiasm. A son of Armenian immigrants, Ara grew up in Binghamton, according to news reports. His parents, Kenneth and Haigouhi Kradjian, escaped the Turkish genocide of Armenians in 1917.

After a stint in the U.S. Navy from 1955-’57, he returned to Binghamton where he joined his father and cousins Harry and Diran Kradjian in the family businesses at Kradjian Properties and Bates Troy Laundry and Dry Cleaning.

Over several years, Ara transformed Bates Troy into a leading healthcare laundry service provider. He also was closely involved in various real estate projects, such as the Metrocenter Mall, the Holiday Inn-SUNY and Vestal Steakhouse. In 2001, Brian joined Ara in the business, which is a longtime member of TRSA.

A March 2005 Textile Rental article on Bates Troy included a focus on Ara’s efforts to help employees through a number of initiatives, including a 24/7 counseling program and a partnership with a local agency to hire people with physical and mental disabilities. He lived by a simple rule: “A good wage for a good day’s work, that’s all that matters.”

Ara was active in the community as well. His activities included service on the board of Banker’s Trust Bank, membership in the UHS Foundation, and as a founding member of the Harper Forum (now the Binghamton Forum). He also helped launch the Binghamton Chamber of Commerce Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Arena Club.

Another area of interests centered on charitable activities. Ara was long active in the Armenian community and church. He founded scholarships at the University of Binghamton and the University of Pennsylvania. He supported various local arts organizations, including First Night Binghamton, Tri Cities Opera, the Binghamton Philharmonic and the Goodwill Theater in Johnson City, NY, as well as individual artists.

Ara was a graduate of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, where he also played football and was president of the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity for two years. After graduating in 1955, he served as a lieutenant with the U.S. Naval Construction Battalion, aka the “Seabees.” Ara’s duties including building weather stations in Antarctica and the Caribbean region.

An avid outdoorsman, Ara liked hunting, fishing and horseback riding, as well as sporting events, including football and horse racing, plus great food and wine enjoyed with family and friends. In the 2005 article referenced above, he quipped that, “Hunting and fishing are the only vices I have left.” The walls of his office walls were lined with hunting trophies and photos of Ara meeting with U.S. presidents, including Ronald Reagan and Gerald R. Ford. Ed Arzouian, compliance and special projects coordinator for Bates Troy, noted that his late boss projected an air of authority and leadership. “It’s interesting; we have pictures of Ara with a few U.S. presidents in our conference room,” Arzouian said. “He looks more presidential than the presidents!”

Survivors include his wife of 30 years, Naima Kradjian, sons Brian (Anahit), Vestal, NY; and Eric, Phoenix; a granddaughter, Jordan Barnette Kradjian, Binghamton; sisters Alice (Henri) Janian, Palm Desert, CA; Astrid Dadourian, Manhattan; Diane (Dr. Lewis) Robinson, Phoenix; cousins Diran (Socie) Kradjian, Binghamton; a sister-in-law, Nena Bloomquist, and brother-in-law James Farrell, Marlborough, MA; plus many nieces and nephews, cousins and extended family members. He was predeceased by his first wife, Sophie Boudaghian.

The family will receive friends from 4-7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 8, at J.A. McCormack Sons Funeral Home, 141 Main St., Binghamton. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, Feb. 9, at Trinity Memorial Episcopal Church, 44 Main St., Binghamton. In lieu of flowers, the family would welcome donations to the Goodwill Theater Inc., 67 Broad St., Johnson City, NY 13790. Click here for details.

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