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Empire Zone lures Air-Flo to Elmira

Firm plans March 1 startup in Southport

By Robert Recotta
The Leader
February 27, 2001

Southport- Air-Flo Manufacturing, a Prattsburgh-based company that makes steel beds for dumb trucks, will lease a portion of the former American LaFrance building.

Chuck Musso, president of Air-Flo Manufacturing, said the company will lease 50,000 square feet of the 330,000-square-foot facility initially and another 100,000 square feet in the next three years. Musso said the company will create 100 new jobs an invest $1.2 million in new machinery and equipment.

“There has been such a great turn-around in New York, everything from taxes to unemployment to workers compensation, that New York is now a more business friendly place for our manufacturing business.”

Musso said he has no specific timetable for hiring the new employees. He said it depends on how many skilled applicants the company gets and how quickly Air-Flo can train them.

Applications are now available at the New York State Unemployment Office, 200 Baldwin St. Musoo said the company’s first priority will be hiring welders, with machinists being added down the road, and Air-Flo will waste no time moving into the facility.

“March 1 is our startup date,” Musso said. “We plan setting up pro-and re-doing office space.

The former American LaFrance building is located within Elmira’s Empire Zone. Because of this and the Economic Development Zone, Air-Flo will receive some substantial financial incentives. Air Flo will be exempt form any sales tax on equipment and machinery, it will receive energy and property tax incentives and workers compensation cost will be reduced. In addition, Air-Flo is receiving a $150,000 grant for capital projects through Empire State Development, said Tom Santulli, Chemung County executive.

Musso cited the Empire Zone as one of the factors in the decision to move to Southport.

“I think, as we looked at it, Elmira looked attractive to us,” Musso said. “It’s located in an Empire Zone, it offers good incentives and tax breaks, good utility rates and several other benefits. We feel that the quality of the work force is also very good, and we feel we can attract some skilled people that we need.”

Santulli said the Empire Zone and the Economic Development Zone were responsible for much of the manufacturing renaissance in Elmira over the past couple of years.

“They have been the key to our economic success,” Santulli said. “If it wasn’t for the Economic Development Zone and now the Empire Zone, 70 percent of our economic development would not have occurred.”

Musso also cited the conversion of state Route 17 to Interstate Highway 86 as a factor in the decision.

“We need access for shipping raw materials and shipping completed units to dealers,” Musso said. “Being located on a Federal Interstate highway is a significant plus.”

Santulli said a major manufacturing facility like Air-Flo would act as an anchor to draw other companies into the American LaFrance building.

Business Plan
In the next three years Air Flo Manufacturing, a firm that builds steel beds for dump trucks, will:
-create jobs
-Spend $12 million for new machinery and equipment.
-Lease up to 150,000 square feet in the former American LaFrance building.

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