Efforts to diversify the Sault's economy are paying off.Efforts to diversify the Sault's economy are paying off There is much more to the economy of Sault Ste. Marie Sault Sainte Marie — pronounced "Soo Saint Marie" (IPA /su seɪnt məˈɹi/) — is the name of two cities on the Saint Marys River, which forms part of the boundary between the United States and Canada. than Algoma Steel ''See also Algoma (Disambiguation) Algoma Steel Corporation (TSX: AGA) was founded in 1902 by Francis Clergue, an American entrepreneur who had settled in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. . The city has an established and diverse base of small- and medium-sized manufacturing firms, and there are indications that the sector will grow. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Giacomo Pastore, Sault Ste. Marie's business development officer, interest has been expressed in establishing manufacturing operations Manufacturing operations concern the operation of a facility, as opposed to maintenance, supply and distribution, health, and safety, emergency response, human resources, security, information technology and other infrastructural support organizations. to produce goods ranging from sports cars to insect-control chemicals. Pastore explained that the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation (EDC EDC See: Export Development Corp. ) has been working closely with Tri-Forest Corp. of Western Canada
Western Canada, commonly referred to as the West , which intends to build a structural board plant in the city before the end of the year. The plant would be capable of producing 525 million metric tons of structural board and medium-density fibreboard Medium-density fiberboard (MDF or MDFB) is an engineered wood product formed by breaking down softwood into wood fibers, often in a defibrator, combining it with wax and resin, and forming panels by applying high temperature and pressure. annually and could create more than 2,280 jobs. The company projects that it will make an investment of about $275 million over its first five years of operation. UNDER STUDY Pastore said the EDC is currently studying several additional proposals, including one for a tire recycling Tire recycling is the process of recycling vehicles tires (or tyres) that are no longer suitable for use on vehicles due to wear or irreparable damage (such as punctures). facility. He declined to relate details of the proposal because it is being reviewed by the federal and provincial governments. Pastore said the proposal for a custom sports car manufacturing operation is nearly complete. The company would handbuild replicas of sports cars such as Porches from precast pre·cast adj. Relating to or being a structural member, especially of concrete, that has been cast into form before being transported to its site of installation. molds purchased from the manufacturer. The cars, to be built at a frequency of one per month, would sell for approximately $100,000 each. "Out of five steps, they (the proposals' principals) are at number three," Pastore said, adding that the proposal now requires the necessary government approvals and a site. Pastore said the company had originally planned to establish itself in southern Ontario. However, economic stumbling blocks prompted the decision to move north. The business development officer said two existing southern Ontario manufacturing firms are interested in moving their operations to the Sault for economic reasons. "They see it (Sault Ste. Marie) as a second chance for their businesses. Everything is so expensive in the south. Real estate, labor and production costs are less in the Sault," he said. Pastore said the economic development office has also been negotiating with a company called Espro, which proposes to produce non-toxic products designed to eliminate insects in forests. He said the EDC has participated in a total of 820 meetings concerning potential business developments over the past year. One success story was the establishment of Spill Tech Industries Inc., a Sault Ste. Marie company which produces products designed for the emergency cleanup of fluid spills. Spill Tech already receives product orders from across Canada Across Canada was an afternoon program that formerly aired on The Weather Network. The segment ran from early 1999 until mid 2002. The show ran from 3:00PM ET until 7:00 PM ET. and, according to Pastore, it is a likely candidate for future expansion because of the growing need for the products. NO SAVIOR According to Pastore, Sault Ste. Marie is home to dozens of manufacturing firms which continue to prosper despite the situation at Algoma Steel. He explained that many of these firms are doing well because "they realized that the plant (Algoma Steel) wasn't their savior." The examples he listed include St. Marys Paper, Arc Tube Inc., Lajambe Forest Products, Ski Searchmont, Conaquip Co. and Seamless Cylinder. PHOTO : Giacomo Pastore, Sault Ste. Marie's business development officer, says many of Algoma Steel's suppliers had the foresight to decrease their reliance on the steel giant. |
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