Haley praised for effort to keep company in S.C.
YORK — Officials from Bluestar Silicones were beaming on Friday.
J. Christopher York, president of the company’s U.S. operations, and Pascal Chalvon-Demersay, CEO for Bluestar Silicones International, were proud to show off their new York County operations.
What had once been just four walls, some heating and air-conditioning equipment and a roof at the East York Industrial Park, is now a research and development center, a sales center and manufacturing site Bluestar hopes will propel it to the top of the silicone industry worldwide.
The 226,000-square-foot site combines operations from Bluestar’s plant on White Street in Rock Hill and from Ventura, Calif. Eighty-three people work at the facility – 17 who moved from the Ventura plant. The company expects to increase its workforce to 109 over the next three years.
They also were beaming because Gov. Nikki Haley, they said, made the extra effort to keep the company from moving to Charlotte.
In February 2011, Demersay stood with Charlotte officials to tout the company’s move to a former chemical plant off Steele Creek Road.
That deal didn’t work out. York said it would have cost too much to retrofit the Charlotte location. So Bluestar, which had been looking for a new site for four years, again looked to South Carolina.
Haley told the crowd of Bluestar employees and their suppliers that she now worked for them.
“If Bluestar does well,” she said, “South Carolina does well.”
Haley said she wanted to know what Bluestar plans for the next year, in five years and beyond. She said the company’s focus on the future interested her the most.
“I’ll come every year and check on you,” Haley said.
After speeches and a ribbon cutting, visitors toured the plant, which at one time had overwhelmed Bluestar officials.
They looked at the building, which once housed lighting manufacturer Hella, before opting to go to Charlotte. The building seem too big for their operations, officials said.
But when the Charlotte deal fell through, they revisited the Hella building and decided it would work within an estimated $19.8 million budget.
York said the space will allow Bluestar to expand its workshops to support existing markets as well as new products.
The company makes a wide array of silicone products at the York facility for the health care, personal care, aerospace and automotive markets. Health care products were previously made at the company’s Ventura plant.
Bluestar’s headquarters are in Lyon, France. Company sales are annually in excess of $650 million. The U.S. headquarters are in East Brunswick, N.J.
Company officials said the York facility will allow them to plant new roots.
“We are building a foundation here that will create business opportunities and position us for future market share growth,” York said.
Saturday the company is holding a family day, during which children and their families will plant new trees to landscape the facility.
J. Christopher York, president of the company’s U.S. operations, and Pascal Chalvon-Demersay, CEO for Bluestar Silicones International, were proud to show off their new York County operations.
What had once been just four walls, some heating and air-conditioning equipment and a roof at the East York Industrial Park, is now a research and development center, a sales center and manufacturing site Bluestar hopes will propel it to the top of the silicone industry worldwide.
The 226,000-square-foot site combines operations from Bluestar’s plant on White Street in Rock Hill and from Ventura, Calif. Eighty-three people work at the facility – 17 who moved from the Ventura plant. The company expects to increase its workforce to 109 over the next three years.
They also were beaming because Gov. Nikki Haley, they said, made the extra effort to keep the company from moving to Charlotte.
In February 2011, Demersay stood with Charlotte officials to tout the company’s move to a former chemical plant off Steele Creek Road.
That deal didn’t work out. York said it would have cost too much to retrofit the Charlotte location. So Bluestar, which had been looking for a new site for four years, again looked to South Carolina.
Haley told the crowd of Bluestar employees and their suppliers that she now worked for them.
“If Bluestar does well,” she said, “South Carolina does well.”
Haley said she wanted to know what Bluestar plans for the next year, in five years and beyond. She said the company’s focus on the future interested her the most.
“I’ll come every year and check on you,” Haley said.
After speeches and a ribbon cutting, visitors toured the plant, which at one time had overwhelmed Bluestar officials.
They looked at the building, which once housed lighting manufacturer Hella, before opting to go to Charlotte. The building seem too big for their operations, officials said.
But when the Charlotte deal fell through, they revisited the Hella building and decided it would work within an estimated $19.8 million budget.
York said the space will allow Bluestar to expand its workshops to support existing markets as well as new products.
The company makes a wide array of silicone products at the York facility for the health care, personal care, aerospace and automotive markets. Health care products were previously made at the company’s Ventura plant.
Bluestar’s headquarters are in Lyon, France. Company sales are annually in excess of $650 million. The U.S. headquarters are in East Brunswick, N.J.
Company officials said the York facility will allow them to plant new roots.
“We are building a foundation here that will create business opportunities and position us for future market share growth,” York said.
Saturday the company is holding a family day, during which children and their families will plant new trees to landscape the facility.
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