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Bridgestone Firestone wants updated technical facilities and they could be elsewhere
By Jim Mackinnon
Beacon Journal business writer
Published on Friday, Feb 01, 2008
Akron once again is confronted with the possibility of a major tire giant pulling up its roots and leaving.
Bridgestone Firestone says it wants a new, world-class technical center instead of its stodgy 1911-era facility off South Main Street.
And while it's not definite that the company will move its Akron facility to Tennessee, taking perhaps as many as 600 to 1,000-plus jobs with it, that move could happen, company and public officials say.
Bridgestone Firestone said it will decide in upcoming months on one of three options:
• Renovate the existing structure.
• Build a new technical center in the Akron area that will open at the end of 2011.
• Build a new technical center in the Nashville area, close to its North American headquarters, and move in by the end of 2011.
A recommendation on which option to take will be made in May. A final decision ideally will be made by the end of September, or no later than the end of the year, by the boards of corporate entities called Bridgestone Americas Holdings, its North American tire subsidiary, and by Bridgestone Corp. in Japan.
The timetables could change, the
company said.
Developer Stuart Lichter of California has been involved in part of the Bridgestone Firestone talks, Summit County Executive Russell Pry said.
''I had an exploratory conversation quite a while ago,'' Lichter said. But nothing has happened since then, he said.
''Not to say we wouldn't consider it. It's certainly something we'd look at,'' Lichter said. ''We haven't gotten into it.''
Lichter's Industrial Realty Group is developing the nearly $900 million Goodyear headquarters project in East Akron. He and colleagues own and are redeveloping other large, aging industrial sites in Northeast Ohio and just completed the purchase of 88-acre Hoover Co. campus in North Canton.
The Akron technical center is where Bridgestone Firestone builds race tires and does design, technical and related work for its other tires. Race tire production, where about 150 people work, will remain for the time being at the 1911 facility regardless of what happens with the technical center project, one public official said.
Company statement
The company released a brief statement Thursday afternoon, following meetings with its Akron hourly and salaried employees to update them on the project status.
''Bridgestone Americas (known inside the company as BSA) needs, and its first-class teammates deserve, a first-class technology building. After reviewing proposals from a number of cities, BSA has narrowed the focus of a world-class technology building to two areas: Akron and Middle Tennessee,'' the statement read.
''In Akron, the options include updating and extensively renovating the existing facility or building a new one. The other possibility is to build a new technology facility in the Middle Tennessee area. BSA is in serious discussions now with officials in both areas. BSA is committed to finding a course of action that is best for the company and its teammates.''
Renovation would cost tens of millions of dollars, as would building a new technical center, a company official said. The Akron facility is where 629 engineers, scientists, designers and others work, according to a company statement.
The company said it is negotiating with Akron, Summit County and state officials over its options, and also holding similar talks with Tennessee officials.
A local recommendation on which way to go will be made by May, with a final decision ideally made by the end of September, said Bob Handlos, vice president of materials and racing technology for Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire.
Handlos said he and others recognize the company's historical ties to Akron.
''Akron is very important to the company,'' Handlos said. ''This will be a business decision. . . . We are going to make a data-driven decision.''
The decision will also be based on ''qualitative'' factors, he said.
The announcement follows the December news of the $900 million Goodyear project that also involved city, county and state financing.
''I don't want this perceived as a 'me, too' project,'' Handlos said. Bridgestone Firestone began exploring its technical center options two years ago, he said.
The 1911 building is not conducive to today's technology or attracting and retaining employees, Handlos said.
When cost estimates came back on what it would take to renovate the current building, company executives decided to also look at new construction, he said.
Mayor responds
Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic issued a short statement in response.
''Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire LLC approached us in late 2007 with their intentions to either update their Technical Center in Akron, or construct a new center in Akron or move the center to a new location in North Carolina or Tennessee,'' Plusquellic said. ''We appreciate that we have been given an opportunity to assemble a proposal that would retain approximately 600 jobs in Akron.
''Over the last several months, we have been meeting with their team to review the preliminary concepts that would address Bridgestone Firestone's needs. We have identified possible sites for new construction, and have begun the identification of possible vehicles to assist with funding the necessary public improvements that would accompany a large construction project.
''We anticipate that we will receive more details on the project so that we can place before the company in a timely manner a response that will be competitive and will be in the best interests of the people of Akron.''
County executive Pry said he and Plusquellic have been looking into what can be done to keep the technical center operations in Akron.
More options
The company unveiled to them one concept design showing a new Bridgestone Firestone technical center on the company's current property, he said. Akron also has available land in the White Pond area that it can offer, he said.
One city and county option might involve the Summit County Port Authority owning the new technical center building and leasing it back to Bridgestone Firestone, Pry said.
Jim Mackinnon can be reached at 330-996-3544 or jmackinnon@thebeaconjournal.com.
Akron once again is confronted with the possibility of a major tire giant pulling up its roots and leaving.
Get the full article here.
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