Company Considering Purchase of Siemens Olean Site and Seeking Incentives | New
OLEAN – A company interested in buying the Siemens Energy campus in North Olean is in talks with state and local officials about an incentive program, the Times Herald has learned.
Siemens announced in February that it intended to shut down the plant in 2022. The plant was then brought to market with an asking price of $ 7.5 million. The 88-acre site includes two buildings of 775,000 square feet for production and 172,000 square feet for offices.
The layoffs involve 530 manufacturing workers being implemented in stages, started in July. A second round was due to take place this month. About 100 machinists were transferred to Siemens’ Painted Post plant.
Local officials are hopeful that a sale can be announced before the end of the year, said Corey Wiktor, executive director of the Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Agency.
Wiktor, like other local officials, said he could not release the name of the company expressing interest in the former Dresser-Rand property.
Local and state development officials heard from several potential buyers, Wiktor said.
“Everyone is looking for a new heritage company to start manufacturing in the factory,†he said. “We spoke to national and international companies. … There is a skilled workforce â€of metallurgists at the plant.
Empire State Development, Olean officials and IDA have been focused on selling the Siemens plant for some time, Wiktor said. “We didn’t want the property to go to a developer who scrapped it and then try to sell the property. “
Olean City Council Chairman John Crawford said he and Mayor Bill Aiello spoke on the phone almost daily with companies that may be interested in the plant.
Crawford said he was encouraged by reports that a company expressing serious interest in the Siemens Energy plant could hire 300 or more employees over two years. He also refused to identify the company.
The mayor told The Times Herald on Wednesday that “nothing has been confirmed to the mayor’s office regarding the sale of the Siemens plant.”
Aiello said he spoke with Crawford frequently to find out who might be interested in the factory and the rumors.
“It would really soften the blow,†Aiello said of reports that a sale could be near. “If that comes to pass, it would be great news for the town of Olean and the surrounding area.”
The announcement of great interest in the Siemens site comes less than two weeks after Great Lakes Cheese Co. announced the construction of a new 500,000 square foot factory in the towns of Franklinville and Farmersville, now 226 jobs at the current Cuba site in the area while adding 200 more.
With tax breaks, land purchase commitments and millions of infrastructure aid, Great Lakes is expected to open the $ 505 million cheese factory north of the village of Franklinville in the spring.
The Cattaraugus County IDA as well as local and state lawmakers have been heavily involved in negotiations with Great Lakes to implement the incentive program.