Canadian company considers plant at Loring

LIMESTONE – A Canadian company is looking to open a manufacturing facility at the Loring Commerce Centre, and a company already on the former base is looking at opening a parts warehouse and distribution center.

The Loring Development Authority on Wednesday preliminarily approved leases of 40,000 square feet with Imperial Signs of Edmundston, New Brunswick, and of 40,000 square feet with The Telford/Volvo Group Inc.

The Edmundston company, a part of Canada’s largest commercial sign-making company – the Pattison Group of Vancouver – is considering a location at Loring to accommodate an unexpected increase in its United States business which justifies the opening of a U.S. manufacturing and assembly operation.

The facility could bring 100 to 150 jobs to Loring.

The Edmundston company makes signs for a large number of national and international companies. Their customers include petroleum companies, major department stores and major chain stores. The company, which has been in Edmundston for several decades, recently opened a new multimillion-dollar plant in Edmundston.

“This is fantastic news, although we still have a lot of work to do to bring this about,” Brian Hamel, president and CEO of the Loring Commerce Centre, said Wednesday morning at an LDA meeting. “There was a lot of teamwork in getting this done.

“While they are ultimately looking at three plants in the U.S., they want their first plant close to their Edmundston facility,” Hamel said. “This effort started six months ago with a chance meeting at a St. Leonard [New Brunswick] airport.”

“It’s an exciting project,” Anne Pringle, LDA acting chairperson, said.

The LDA is looking to secure grant funding of $800,000 to improve 40,000 square feet of Building 7220. Authority officials hope to get a Community Development Block Grant of $400,000 and $200,000 from the federal Economic Development Administration and use $200,000 of LDA money to make the project a reality.

The work would include renovations to the electrical systems, air compression system, docking and office facilities.

Imperial Signs Ltd. also is looking to obtain an option on another 40,000 square feet in the same building.

The Canadian plant could come quickly, Hamel told his board. That’s why they are moving forward on grant applications. A blind advertisement campaign in January showed that the company would not have a hard time getting the employees they need in Aroostook County. Nearly 250 people put in applications.

Hamel said the company also would take advantage of state incentives including training money, tax increment financing, business equipment tax reimbursement and funds from the recently approved Empowerment Zone in Aroostook County.

The LDA has approved free rent for the first three years of operation. The company would pay an annual service fee of $20,000 for municipal services it receives. That amount would increase to $40,000 per year after six years.

The Telford/Volvo Group, which already has an aviation storage and dismantling site at Loring, is considering expanding its spare parts inventory and having a distribution operation at Loring. The company operation at Loring employs five people. Hamel expects that will grow by three more in a couple of weeks.

Hamel said the Telford/Volvo Group operation could grow to 30 people by the end of the summer.

The company would use 40,000 square feet of the same building as Imperial Signs. The agreement is that the company would pay rent only on the 28,000 square feet they need.

“The company [Telford] has been pleased with what they saw here,” Hamel told his trustees. “They have made a tentative decision to relocate a spare parts center here.

“That is good for the aviation sector we have been wanting to develop,” he said. “They are making a big leap of faith coming here.”

If they do come to Loring, the company could close a spare parts and distribution center they have in New York state.