Company expanding, bringing jobs to Speers Industrial Park
August 3, 2019
Jeff Stitt
Mon Valley Independent
There are new jobs coming to the Mid-Mon Valley.
Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday announced that TechnipFMC will expand its operations by establishing a new facility in Speers borough. The project will support the creation and retention of 168 jobs.
“This project is great news for the Mon Valley,” Wolf said. “This expansion project means new full-time jobs and new opportunities for Pennsylvanians.” TechnipFMC, a London, United Kingdom-based company, will establish a new regional hub facility at the Speers Industrial Park which will allow for expansion of operations, including service, repair, manufacturing and testing of tools and equipment within the energy industry.
The company has committed to investing at least $13.3 million into the project, which is expected to create 40 new, full-time jobs and retain 128 existing Pennsylvania jobs over the next three years.
“To successfully operate in today’s market, we must be able to efficiently provide services to our clients that streamline customer site operations and reduce their costs, while operating at the highest safety and quality standards,” President of TechnipFMC Surface Technologies Richard Alabaster said. “We look forward to expanding our presence in Western Pennsylvania and contributing to its local economy. We appreciate the support and guidance from the Wolf Administration and the Governor’s Action Team.”
TechnipFMC has 40 facilities in the United States. The company received a funding proposal from the state Department of Community and Economic Development for a $160,000 Pennsylvania First grant and up to $18,000 in grants for workforce training and development.
The project was coordinated by the Governor’s Action Team, an experienced group of economic development professionals who report directly to Wolf and work with businesses that are considering locating or expanding in Pennsylvania, with additional coordination through the Washington County Chamber of Commerce.
“On behalf of Washington County and our lead economic development agency, the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, we are proud to welcome Technip-FMC to the Speers Industrial Park. Commissioner Larry Maggi said. “We are excited that they have chosen to develop their new hub facility in Washington County and thrilled at the job creation and workforce opportunities this will create for our residents in the Mon Valley and beyond. “This is another example of the public/private partnerships that have been a hallmark of our success in Washington County and we thank TechnipFMC, Gov. Wolf, and the Governor’s Action Team for allowing us to assist in making this project a success.”
TechnipFMC is a provider of systems and solutions for the oil and gas industry. The company designs, manufactures and services systems and products such as sub-sea production and processing systems, surface wellhead systems, high pressure pumps and fluid control equipment, measurement solutions, and marine loading systems.
State Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R- Carroll Township, said she is “pleased to welcome TechnipFMC to the Mon Valley.”
“The recent announcement of a $13.3 million dollar project in Speers is great news for the future of Washington County and the entire Commonwealth,” Bartolotta said. “Our region is uniquely equipped with an eager workforce and a can-do spirit. As the Mon Valley continues to rebound, I continue to welcome these opportunities.”
Washington County Chamber of Commerce President Jeff Kotula said the project builds on the economic progress that has been seen in the Valley during the past several years, pointing out that TechnipFMC joins companies such as Corelle, Apex North America, Retal and TechMet, each of which have either located facilities or expanded in the Valley over the past few years.
“The Washington County Chamber of Commerce was proud to partner with Gov. Wolf, the PA Department of Community & Economic Development and Washington County Commissioners Larry Maggi, Diana Irey Vaughan and Harlan Shober to work with TechnipFMC to bring jobs and investment to the Mon Valley,” Kotula said. “This project is important on many levels as it continues to demonstrate the positive results of our county’s marketing efforts to attract business investment and the strength of the partnerships among of our public officials, economic development organizations and business community to encourage investment and job creation in our area. It also reflects the tremendous positive impacts the energy industry is having on our economy and how that industry is now advancing in the Mon Valley by attracting TechnipFMC as a leading provider of solutions to the oil and gas industry to our county.”
“There is a real energy in the Mon Valley right now and we need to keep that momentum going,” Kotula said.