The company will use the facility to manufacture parabolic solar mirrors, which are used to help generate electricity at large-scale solar power plants. It will be the company's first US facility of this type. Flabeg plans to lease a 20-acre site in the Buchner Co.'s Clinton Commerce Park in Findlay, and build a 209,000-sf manufacturing facility. The building will be constructed in two phases, with the first phase starting this fall. The total investment in both phases of the project is expected to be $30 million. Flabeg will retain 198 jobs at its other Allegheny County location, in Brackenridge, which manufactures mirror glass for passenger cars and commercial vehicles.
Gov. Rendell says that the State has already created more than 3,000 jobs in the renewable energy industry and leveraged $1 billion in private investment and, "with solar energy production growing at an incredible pace and markets continuing to expand, it's clear that we've only seen the tip of the iceberg."
Charles Johnson, president of Flabeg Solar US Corp., says in a prepared statement that "the Governor's commitment to alternative energy solutions has created a business environment attractive to companies leading the drive for energy independence." Pennsylvania's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard requires that, by 2021, at least 18% of all electricity sold at retail "comes from clean, advanced energy resources," according to a prepared statement.
The project was coordinated through the Governor's action team. The Department of Community and Economic development's Office of International Business Development and its representative in Germany worked closely with GAT and Flabeg to help bring the project to fruition. The Allegheny County Department of Economic Development provided additional support for the project.
Pennsylvania provided a $9 million funding offer that included a $1.2 million opportunity grant, $3 million from the machinery and equipment loan fund, a $2 million loan from the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority, $1.5 million in Infrastructure and Facilities Improvement Program grants, $900,000 in job creation tax credits, and $400,000 in job training assistance.
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Natalie Dolce
Natalie Dolce, editor-in-chief of GlobeSt.com and GlobeSt. Real Estate Forum, is responsible for working with editorial staff, freelancers and senior management to help plan the overarching vision that encompasses GlobeSt.com, including short-term and long-term goals for the website, how content integrates through the company’s other product lines and the overall quality of content. Previously she served as national executive editor and editor of the West Coast region for GlobeSt.com and Real Estate Forum, and was responsible for coverage of news and information pertaining to that vital real estate region. Prior to moving out to the Southern California office, she was Northeast bureau chief, covering New York City for GlobeSt.com. Her background includes a stint at InStyle Magazine, and as managing editor with New York Press, an alternative weekly New York City paper. In her career, she has also covered a variety of beats for M magazine, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, FashionLedge.com, and Co-Ed magazine. Dolce has also freelanced for a number of publications, including MSNBC.com and Museums New York magazine.
