Forest River Bus LLC, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway’s Forest River Inc., intends to acquire Trans Tech Bus, Inc., a manufacturer of school buses, including all-electric buses, that is located in Warwick in Orange County. Trans Tech occupies a 70,000 square foot manufacturing facility. The company was established in 2007. It builds its buses on chassis made by Ford and Chevy.
Billionaire Warren Buffett is the co-founder and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. Forest River, Inc. is the largest manufacturer of recreational vehicles, cargo trailers, pontoon boats, buses, vans, and commercial vehicles in North America. Headquartered in Elkhart, Indiana, Forest River has more than 14,000 employees in more than 100 facilities in more than a half dozen states.
John Corr, owner of Trans Tech Bus, said, “We are happy to announce that we are selling Trans Tech Bus to Forest River a company, which like Trans Tech Bus, is focused on building school buses for the people who ride and drive them each day.” Trans Tech Bus says that it launched the first mass produced electric school bus in 2011.
According to the company and a filing with the New York State Department of Labor, manufacturing will continue at the Trans Tech Bus facility in Warwick under the current management through no later than Sept. 20. By that date the Trans Tech Bus manufacturing operations will have relocated to Forest River’s main bus facility in Goshen, Indiana. All 81 Trans Tech employees will be affected by the closure.
“We are honored to be taking the reins of such an accomplished and revered company,” said Forest River Bus president David Wright. “We are looking forward to continuing the pioneering legacy of Trans Tech Bus and ensuring school districts and contractors continue to receive school buses that are safe, efficient, and built to last.”
The purchase price for Trans Tech was not immediately disclosed.
This is awful for the employees, venders and local business in this small town in New York.
We all helped build a cutting-edge product in NY and in an instant Warren Buffet swoops in and takes all it away.
This shouldn’t be allowed to happen.