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[Newspaper] Publication: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Rochester, NY, United States |
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40 new jobs are officially presented Ceremonies at Lima draw many dignitaries
By Bob Bickel
LIMA — Forty new jobs were officially presented to the Lima area and Livingston County yesterday by the Pinco Division of Joslyn Manufacturing Co. In a one-story metal building opposite the main Pinco plant on Routes 5 and 20, company officials and a group of visitors headed by U. S. Rep. Barber Conable, R-Alexander, celebrated the transfer of an assembly line from company headquarters in Chicago. The new line began operating in Lima a few weeks ago. During the ceremony and the open house inspection that followed, the assembly line kept right on moving, and the 40 new workers kept right on working. "The quality of the workers here is very high, and this was one of the two reasons we transferred the operation," said Kenneth Roza, Joslyn's group vice president. "We don't hear enough about the willingness of New York people to work," said Assemblyman Richard Wesley, R-Geneseo. He said 350 people applied for the 40 jobs. The second reason for moving the operation, said Roza, was that a heavy, gray, foot-long porcelain insulator, the largest component of the fuse cutouts being assembled on the new line, is made in the main Pinco plant. "It was a matter of geography and transportation costs, bringing the operation close to the porcelain," Roza said. "Other companies are moving south and southwest. We're different. We move east." Donald Powell, Pinco plant manager, said the important thing about the new line was that it demonstrated a commitment by Joslyn to the Lima area and the Pinco plant. The fuse cutouts are standard utility industry equipment. They automatically interrupt the flow of power in an emergency and also provide electricians with a switch to turn off the power when they want to work on a line. Each cutout serves 50 to 60 houses, Powell said. The building housing the new line is former warehouse space. "It was nothing but bare walls," Powell said. "The company spent between $150,000 and $200,000 to put in insulation and remodel." The 40 new jobs bring Pinco's total work force to about 230 people and its total payroll contribution to the local economy to about $3.25 million, he said. Joslyn bought the Pinco Division in 1955. Pinco's roots go back to 1903, when ceramic insulator manufacturing started in Lima. Yesterday's expansion was considered important enough in Livingston County to attract not only Conable and Wesley, but John May, former Lima mayor; Lima Supevisor Ronald Yorks; James Steele, chairman of the Livingston County Board of Supervisors; Austin Morris, chairman of the Livingston County Industrial Development Agency; Frank Lamb, a former Rochester mayor now with the U. S. Department of Commerce; members of the Joslyn board of directors; and utility and railroad officials. "The happy day has arrived," Powell said, opening the ceremony. Conable said in his remarks, "New York is sometimes seen as dragging its heels on the way to oblivion. Well it's not so. We have the location, we have the people, we have the industry. "We've got to learn to cut taxes and promote our advantages. The rest will take care of itself. Here's a place where it's happening, with an act of hope, faith and progress." Wesley expressed the area's gratitude for the new assembly line with a switch on the "I Love New York" slogan, giving Powell a pin saying, "New York Loves You." |