Move brings 65 jobs to city
Pearlgreen Corp., a wholesale distributer and manufacturer, marked the grand opening of its newly renovated New Rochelle facility Aug. 30.
The 111,563-square-foot industrial building was purchased from Bakers Pride Oven Co. in November 2009 and underwent a complete rehabilitation to include offices for employees along with warehouse and manufacturing space.
The facility brings under one roof the three arms of the company, which has been a family owned venture for three generations. In addition to being a distributer of maintenance and contractor supplies and hardware, Pearlgreen also owns and operates Pearlweave Safety Netting Corp., a national manufacturer and distributor of safety netting and fall protection systems, and Koring Bros., a sports netting and batting cage manufacturer.
The building has been in use by Pearlgreen since renovations were completed in 2010, but the company held off on its grand opening while it transferred its manufacturing operations in Mexico to the new facility, a move that was completed earlier this summer.
All told, the move relocated more than 55 full-time, permanent employees from the company”™s previous location in New York City to its new home in New Rochelle, as well as adding another 10 manufacturing positions from the former Mexico operations.
“This project provided a win-win situation for both Pearlgreen Corp. and for the city of New Rochelle,” said company President Lawrence Greenberg in a statement. “We are pleased to have the capacity and infrastructure within which to grow our three companies, and in doing so are committed to hiring from the local community. The 10 manufacturing jobs, which we repatriated from Mexico, are a source of pride for us and a daily reminder that the words ”˜Made in the USA”™ still have meaning.”
New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson, who was present at the event along with members of the city”™s Industrial Development Agency, said the relocation of Pearlgreen to New Rochelle represented “an exciting and positive counter-example” to the trend that has seen manufacturing activity leaving the county over the past several years.
“We want a diversified, balanced economic base,” Bramson said. “This certainly contributes to the vitality of the city.”
Memorial Field project to begin
Mount Vernon Mayor Clinton J. Young and Westchester County Legislator Lyndon D. Williams, D-Mount Vernon, last week announced that phase I of the $12.7 million Memorial Field Renovation Project was ready to begin.
The prior week, the Mount Vernon Board of Estimate had approved the contract for the first phase of the project, which includes demolition of the current ball field and grandstands.
The demolition is the beginning of a $12.7 million renovation of the historic ballpark, which city officials and local athletic figures hope will revitalize the immediate area. The current 4,000-seat stadium overlooks 12 acres of athletic fields and long served as the home of the Mount Vernon High School football program.
The renovation plan moves forward despite more than two years of heated opposition to the project.
