The Commonwealth, Re:Build Manufacturing, and RIDC are collaborating on the economic development project in New Kensington.
PITTSBURGH—Re:Build Manufacturing is planning to establish an innovation-focused manufacturing operation in the New Kensington Advanced Manufacturing Park that is expected to create 300 jobs in Westmoreland County over the next three years, according to a release from the Office of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
Re:Build is collaborating with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Regional Industrial Development Corporation (RIDC) on an economic development project that will invest $81 million to create the company’s new manufacturing operations in New Kensington. As part of the project, RIDC and the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corporation (WCIDC) have entered into a purchase agreement with the park’s current owner, the Redevelopment Authority of the City of New Kensington, to acquire and redevelop the entire site.
The project will create Re:Build’s first ground-up manufacturing facility in the United States, the release said. The company’s operations at the new regional headquarters will focus on state-of-the-art fabrication, manufacturing, and integration and assembly projects in high-growth, innovation-driven industries. These industries are reported to include energy, life sciences, robotics, electric mobility, satellite communications, and aerospace.
“Growing up in the heartland, I experienced firsthand the impacts of the rise and fall of American manufacturing on the well-being of our country,” said Jeff Wilke, chairperson and co-founder of Re:Build Manufacturing, in a statement. “We created Re:Build to help our nation secure a more resilient future by investing in high tech manufacturing. The new facility in New Kensington is a major milestone in this journey, helping to revitalize an area once central to American industry and bringing back much needed, sustainable jobs. A big thank you to Governor Shapiro and community leaders like Thomas Tull for helping make this project a reality.”
With a goal of bringing high-tech manufacturing jobs back to the U.S., Re:Build said its mission is also to provide the training needed to do this skilled work. The New Kensington site will work with Westmoreland County Community College and other local vocational training institutions to help students develop the skills required to quality for employment at the facility, the release said.
“Re:Build is committed to reindustrializing America and doing so in communities that have been abandoned by companies chasing cheap labor around the world, including in China,” said Miles Arnone, CEO of Re:Build Manufacturing, in the release. “We understand that for the U.S. to thrive, more Americans need to work in the high-paying, long-term jobs that manufacturing can provide.”
The company’s facility will comprise portions of five existing buildings and total 175,000 square feet, once it is complete. Currently in serious disrepair, the facility will require $31 million in renovations, which will be funded by grants or loans from the Commonwealth, Westmoreland County, and the Richard King Mellon Foundation, as well as equity investments from the RIDC and WCIDC, according to the release.
“We also know that we can’t reverse decades of deindustrialization by ourselves; it requires a true private-public partnership,” Arnone added. “That’s why we are so happy to be establishing this operation in New Kensington, where we have been impressed by the commitment of local and state government, educational institutions, RIDC, and local philanthropies, including the Richard King Mellon Foundation, to invest alongside us to build a better future for the local community and our country.”
Re:Build and RIDC received a funding proposal from the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for a $1.5 million Pennsylvania First grant. They also received a $7 million grant through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, and are encouraged to apply for loans through the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority—all of which is focused on rejuvenating the New Kensington Advanced Manufacturing Park. Re:Build reportedly will be investing $50 million in the project.
“Bringing manufacturing back to the U.S. is critical to our economy, and a matter of national security,” said Thomas Tull, board member and lead investor in Re:Build Manufacturing, in a statement. “[America’s] reclaiming the manufacturing mantle will take time and requires Re:Build’s holistic mission of combining precision manufacturing with cutting-edge technology.”