RICHLAND COUNTY, Ohio — A glass manufacturing plant in Richland County that was set to close at the end of the year will not only remain open — it will also add new jobs.
Vitro, a leading manufacturer of flat, architectural, automotive and container glass, announced its Crestline plant will create 53 new jobs while retaining 265 existing employees.
After Vitro announced it would be closing the Crestline facility, Richland County economic leaders moved quickly to respond.
"They are a big company that supports a lot of jobs here in our community, so we hated to hear of them closing, and we immediately worked to set up meetings with them to see if there was any turning it around," Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development CEO Jessica Gribben said.
A project team that included the Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development Council, JobsOhio, ODOD and Team NEO worked with company executives to persuade Vitro to invest in the Crestline plant rather than redirect resources to its other domestic manufacturing facilities.
"They really went to the drawing board to see what other options there were; some things turned around for them, and then we pulled in our state and regional partners right away," Gribben said.
Those efforts ultimately succeeded. In a statement, Team Neo said: “Improved macroeconomic conditions combined with new business opportunities, caused company decision-makers to strategically look across its domestic manufacturing footprint to meet forecasted demand.”
"Not only are they staying, but they're actually adding jobs to their existing location, so they kind of started off that they were committed to staying, and then it grew from there," Gribben said.
Community members welcomed the news.
"It's a great feeling because people still have their job and don’t have to look elsewhere," Troy Pery said.
Pery said the reversal is a win for the broader Richland County economy.
"That's certainly going to help the economy around here. Richland County and Crawford County needs it, and we will take it all, and that’s a good thing for this area," Pery said.
