In the midst of economic turmoil, Scotia-Glenville Industrial Park received some welcome news last week when packaging products manufacturer Sealed Air signed on for an additional seven years in the park.
Ray Gillen, chairman of Metroplex and commissioner of economic development and planning in Schenectady County, said the commission is pleased that Sealed Air has signed a new lease and that the company’s major production facility in Glenville will be upgraded. He said that while there is currently no additional hiring going on, the promise of job creation is there.
The company employs 100 now in manufacturing. By signing a new seven-year lease, the company has committed to Glenville, Gillen said.
`Employment will be dictated by orders and business conditions, however this was an important business retention success for us.`
Gillen said the company is a major player in technology and manufacturing with its 300,000-square-foot facility. The new lease includes approximately $2 million in upgrades to the company’s Glenville plant.
Metroplex has promised to give Sealed Air $100,000 in aid to help with the planned upgrades and renovations.
Sealed Air has been in Glenville for more than 20 years and is a leading manufacturer of packaging materials, performance-based materials and equipment systems that serve a number of industries. The company supplies their product to the food and medical industries, as well as consumer applications.
Sealed Air is well known for its Bubble Wrap-brand cushioning and Cryovac packaging technology. The company is a leader in the development of lighter, more environmentally friendly packaging products. The Glenville plant produces foam-molded packaging products.
Gillen said the company first came to Glenville because of the convenience of the industrial park’s location off Exit 26 of the state Thruway and access to railways.
The news that Sealed Air is staying comes in the wake of an announcement by Super Steel that it would be shutting down its Glenville plant, leaving 170 workers without jobs.
`We need to have good news, and this was certainly welcome,` said Gillen.
The Sealed Air building is owned by Rotterdam’s Galesi Group, which also owns the Super Steel building. Chief Operating Officer of the Galesi Group, David M. Buicko, said that while they are pleased with the Sealed Air announcement, they know they need to continue to bring business into the park, as well as preserve what is there.
`We believe that the efforts between the business sector and county government have been successful in keeping a business like Sealed Air,` said Buicko.“