Bucher Emhart Glass officially opened its new facility in the former Sikorsky building on Kahler Road.
Two years ago, the glass manufacturing company was faced with the decision to put more money into their former facility on Sullivan Street in Elmira or move. “When you have a 50 year-old building, you can imagine. Let’s just leave it as, it was old. It’s a nice facility, but when we’re looking for something that’s a world class standard that wasn’t it,” says Elmira Site Manager at Bucher Emhart Glass, Pat Ervin.
Ervin says the company liked the former Sikorsky site in Airport Corporate Park, but needed financial help from the state to make the $6 million project a reality. Through the New York State Regional Economic Development Council, Emhart Glass was awarded $1.6 million for the relocation project. “There was a big fear here that if we couldn’t come up with a big business plan that shows we would make it in this area at a world class facility, that we would have moved,” explains Ervin.
With Emhart’s new facility, more than 100 people are still employed through the company. “I’ll give credit to this governor. He’s been tremendous to the Southern Tier and to this community,” explains Chemung County Executive, Tom Santulli.
Chemung County Legislator Rodney J. Strange (R-15) is excited about the new facility. “The opening of this new building is important to our county. We saved 100 jobs from going out of town and have the potential of many new jobs at this facility in the future,” Strange said. “The County Legislature worked with the Executive’s Office to help make this happen and the result is great economic news for our county.”
The glass manufacturing company produces testing and inspecting equipment used by glass container manufacturers around the world. The Big Flats location is one of thirteen facilities worldwide. “As people come in here, we are a technology leader in the industry and you want to be able to project the image you are a technology leader. That’s what this building is going to do for us,” explains Ervin.
The former building on Sullivan Street will be put up for sale.