WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) applauded the announcement that Fuyao Glass Industry Group Co. – a producer of auto safety glass – plans to create an additional 750 jobs. Today’s announcement builds on the already 800 jobs planned at the facility, located on the former General Motors (GM) plant in Moraine. Since 2008, Brown has been a steadfast advocate for the redevelopment of the former automotive plant and has worked with local, state, and federal officials to secure more than $25 million in federal resources to aid in the clean-up and redevelopment of the site.
“For years, the GM Moraine facility was an economic engine for the Miami Valley. Today’s announcement by Fuyao to double its investment at the facility is a testament to the strength of Ohio’s manufacturing sector and the quality of our workforce,” Brown said. “If the federal government had not stepped in, the old GM Moriane site would have been sold for scraps. But because of public-private partnerships dating back to 2009, the site remained intact and is now employing new workers in a new industry.”
Following the plant’s closure in 2008, Brown helped secure more than $187,000 in Economic Development Administration (EDA) funds for the City of Moraine. In April 2009, Brown announced more than $8.3 million in National Emergency Grant (NEG) assistance from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to Ohio auto communities including Moraine. In May 2010, the Obama Administration announced more than $25.8 million in environmental clean-up funds for Moraine. Those initial funding sources helped prime the site for redevelopment efforts.
In October 2010, Brown sent a letter to Al Koch, CEO of Motors Liquidation Company (MLC), urging MLC to work with local and state officials on the sale of the plant to a developer seeking to breathe new life into the facility and generate jobs. That request set in motion the purchase of the site by Stu Lichter, founder and principal of Industrial Realty Group, and its eventual lease/sale to Fuyao in 2014
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