AFTER MONTHS OF ADVOCACY, SCHUMER ANNOUNCES MICRO BIRD TO TAKE OVER FORMER NOVA BUS MANUFACTURING FACILITY IN PLATTSBURGH
Micro Bird Will Invest $38 Million To Purchase Nova Bus’s Facility, Which Was Slated For Closure, And Establish Manufacturing Operations, Employing Up To 350 Workers, Which Will Support The Current Plattsburgh Workforce
Schumer Personally Called Volvo CEO Urging Company To Sell Facility To Another Transportation Manufacturer So New Owner Could Help Absorb Impacted Workers And Add To Region’s Transportation Manufacturing Leadership
Schumer: Micro Bird Will Drive Forward Economic Growth In The North Country!
After months of advocacy, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced Micro Bird will invest $38 million to establish new manufacturing at the Nova Bus site in Plattsburgh now slated for closure.
After their closure was announced earlier this year, Schumer personally called Volvo CEO Martin Lundstedt urging the company to sell the manufacturing facility to preserve transportation-manufacturing operations in the North Country. This new investment by Micro Bird is expected to create up to 350 local jobs, creating employment opportunities for the more than 300 impacted Nova Bus workers in similar jobs.
“This Thanksgiving we have a little extra to be grateful for in Plattsburgh thanks to Micro Bird’s fantastic investment to take over the former Nova Bus manufacturing facility. I called Volvo’s top leadership to urge them to do the right thing and find a new owner in the transportation lane to take over this plant, and I’m thrilled that Micro Bird is stepping up to start manufacturing operations keeping hundreds of good-paying jobs here in Clinton County,” said Senator Schumer. “This will keep the North Country economy’s wheels in motion and provide good-paying job opportunities for hundreds in the Plattsburgh area. America’s buses will continue to be stamped ‘Made in Upstate NY’ courtesy of the world-class Plattsburgh workforce. I am grateful for Governor Hochul for her partnership and leadership in helping drive this deal to ensure Upstate NY remains a leader in transportation manufacturing.”
Micro Bird President and CEO Eric Boulé said,” This is a great opportunity for our company to expand our operations in the State of New York. The availability of a highly qualified workforce, and with the strong support of Governor Hochul and her team, Senator Schumer, Clinton County, and the Town of Plattsburgh, we are looking forward to a successful and sustainable future in producing high quality buses for our US customers.”
Nova Bus, a Volvo company, last year announced that they would end production on the U.S., closing the Plattsburgh facility by 2025. Schumer personally called the Volvo CEO Martin Lundstedt urging the company to sell the manufacturing facility to another company to preserve operations in the North Country and save hundreds of jobs. With this announcement, Schumer said Micro Bird is stepping up by investing $38 million to bring new manufacturing to the Nova Bus site, creating 350 full-time jobs over the next five years that the Nova Bus workers can tap into. The Micro Bird team will collaborate closely with the Nova Bus team for a seamless transition. Production is expected to begin in the summer of 2025.
North Country Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Garry Douglas said, "Since we took the marketing lead following Nova's announcement last year, we have been a part of a remarkably committed team in Albany, Washington and locally. Governor Hochul has been an absolute rock star, reaching out to Volvo and then providing every form of support needed to make this extraordinary deal happen. Similarly with Senator Schumer who twice engaged personally at key points. And our front-line team locally with partners like the Clinton County IDA and TDC joining the Chamber in months of coordinated activity with Micro Bird. It's been a textbook case of effective teamwork, accomplishing the sort of transition that almost never happens in such circumstances. And now we happily turn to intensive work with Micro Bird in support of their future success here. Onward and upward!"
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