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Well, it looks like the first of several gun manufacturers here in Connecticut has a decision with specified plans to relocate to another state ... in this case, South Carolina. Below is the link to the story in the Hartford Courant as well as the story itself printed out.
http://touch.courant.com/#section/-1.../p2p-76365578/
Pushed By Guns Law, PTR Industries Will Relocate To South Carolina
Staff and Wire Reports, The Hartford Courant 6:07 pm, June 19, 2013
Bristol firearms manufacturer PTR Industries is moving to South Carolina, a company executive confirmed Wednesday.
The company — which said two months ago that it would be relocating once it found a suitable location "friendly to the industry" — will move to Aynor, S.C., near Myrtle Beach, said John McNamara, vice president of sales at PTR.
The gun manufacturer, with about 45 employees, was the first firm to announce its exit from the state following recent gun control legislation. Many of PTR's employees agreed to the move and even held an informal vote choosing South Carolina over other states.
Other firearms companies have expressed interest in moving or at least expanding outside of Connecticut, with Stag Arms CEO Mark Malkowski planning a visit to South Carolina on Thursday.
McNamara, offering few details, said that the move would take some time, as the building that the company will relocate to is still just a shell. He said that the company would have a statement about the move later this week.
PTR — code-named "Project Phazer" by Horry County — will maintain an investment of $8 million and at least 145 employees through 2025 to benefit from a lease agreement that the company is completing with the county, according to a county resolution approved Tuesday.
Wages for the 145 employees at the company need to average at least $19.39 an hour, the resolution said, and the investment and jobs need to be in place by the end of December 2016.
Brad Lofton, CEO of the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corp., said that PTR has agreed to all the terms in the county council resolution, which provides for the company to lease the building that will eventually be deeded to it by Horry County.
It's unclear what other incentives PTR is getting out of the move — such as tax credits, grants or the like — although more details are expected to be released at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday at an industrial building in the Cool Springs Business Park in Aynor. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, as well as members of the county's legislative delegation and county council members, are expected to attend.
Josh Fiorini, PTR's CEO, told The Sun News of Myrtle Beach that the company will have 140 employees, many of whom will relocate in the move, which he said will happen over three years.
He said the average wage at the company is about $22 an hour, but that includes management personnel, all of whom are expected to move south. Some of the shop workers are highly skilled and well-paid, although Fiorini said that those hired locally would probably be paid less as they learn the skills to make firearms.
Lofton said the council's action Tuesday approving the resolution was important to the company because it wants to know that it has political support where it is moving. The move was precipitated by restrictive gun laws passed by the state of Connecticut.
Andrew Doba, a spokesman for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, said of the news: "They announced this several months ago, so it's not a surprise. We compete for jobs every day of the week, but on this issue the governor is prioritizing public safety, and the gun violence prevention law he signed will improve public safety."
According to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday, 47 percent of Connecticut voters approve of Malloy's policy on gun control, while 44 percent disapprove. Asked specifically about legislation, 57 percent said they support the "stricter new gun laws in Connecticut."
PTR is one of two Connecticut firearms manufacturers that have said they are being courted by Horry County. The other, Stag Arms, said it was interested in the area, according to Malkowski.
Malkowski said he plans to visit Horry County on Thursday and is familiar with the area because he plays golf there when he visits a customer in Columbia, S.C.
Fiorini said that it would be advantageous for firearms manufacturers to be located in the same area because they might share suppliers.
Reports by FOX CT reporter Tony Terzi, Courant staff writer Brian Dowling and The Sun News of Myrtle Beach, S.C., are included in this story.
http://touch.courant.com/#section/-1.../p2p-76365578/
Pushed By Guns Law, PTR Industries Will Relocate To South Carolina
Staff and Wire Reports, The Hartford Courant 6:07 pm, June 19, 2013
Bristol firearms manufacturer PTR Industries is moving to South Carolina, a company executive confirmed Wednesday.
The company — which said two months ago that it would be relocating once it found a suitable location "friendly to the industry" — will move to Aynor, S.C., near Myrtle Beach, said John McNamara, vice president of sales at PTR.
The gun manufacturer, with about 45 employees, was the first firm to announce its exit from the state following recent gun control legislation. Many of PTR's employees agreed to the move and even held an informal vote choosing South Carolina over other states.
Other firearms companies have expressed interest in moving or at least expanding outside of Connecticut, with Stag Arms CEO Mark Malkowski planning a visit to South Carolina on Thursday.
McNamara, offering few details, said that the move would take some time, as the building that the company will relocate to is still just a shell. He said that the company would have a statement about the move later this week.
PTR — code-named "Project Phazer" by Horry County — will maintain an investment of $8 million and at least 145 employees through 2025 to benefit from a lease agreement that the company is completing with the county, according to a county resolution approved Tuesday.
Wages for the 145 employees at the company need to average at least $19.39 an hour, the resolution said, and the investment and jobs need to be in place by the end of December 2016.
Brad Lofton, CEO of the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corp., said that PTR has agreed to all the terms in the county council resolution, which provides for the company to lease the building that will eventually be deeded to it by Horry County.
It's unclear what other incentives PTR is getting out of the move — such as tax credits, grants or the like — although more details are expected to be released at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday at an industrial building in the Cool Springs Business Park in Aynor. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, as well as members of the county's legislative delegation and county council members, are expected to attend.
Josh Fiorini, PTR's CEO, told The Sun News of Myrtle Beach that the company will have 140 employees, many of whom will relocate in the move, which he said will happen over three years.
He said the average wage at the company is about $22 an hour, but that includes management personnel, all of whom are expected to move south. Some of the shop workers are highly skilled and well-paid, although Fiorini said that those hired locally would probably be paid less as they learn the skills to make firearms.
Lofton said the council's action Tuesday approving the resolution was important to the company because it wants to know that it has political support where it is moving. The move was precipitated by restrictive gun laws passed by the state of Connecticut.
Andrew Doba, a spokesman for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, said of the news: "They announced this several months ago, so it's not a surprise. We compete for jobs every day of the week, but on this issue the governor is prioritizing public safety, and the gun violence prevention law he signed will improve public safety."
According to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday, 47 percent of Connecticut voters approve of Malloy's policy on gun control, while 44 percent disapprove. Asked specifically about legislation, 57 percent said they support the "stricter new gun laws in Connecticut."
PTR is one of two Connecticut firearms manufacturers that have said they are being courted by Horry County. The other, Stag Arms, said it was interested in the area, according to Malkowski.
Malkowski said he plans to visit Horry County on Thursday and is familiar with the area because he plays golf there when he visits a customer in Columbia, S.C.
Fiorini said that it would be advantageous for firearms manufacturers to be located in the same area because they might share suppliers.
Reports by FOX CT reporter Tony Terzi, Courant staff writer Brian Dowling and The Sun News of Myrtle Beach, S.C., are included in this story.