A business with more than 60 years of history tied to Chautauqua County is officially moving its headquarters — and with it about 100 remaining jobs — across the state line to Pennsylvania.

Truck-Lite Co. announced it will set up shop by the end of this year at Knowledge Park on the Penn State Behrend campus near Erie, Pa. Truck-Lite will lease nearly 30,000 square feet at the college business park, a long-time partner, for its office operations.

The manufacturer of truck and trailer safety lighting already had closed its longtime East Elmwood Avenue plant in Falconer in 2020 and had been eyeing relocating the remaining corporate office workforce.

County officials and members of the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency had hoped Truck-Lite would consider remaining local, offering a bevy of incentives that included land at no cost to build a new site at the Mason Industrial Park along with a generous Payment In Lieu Of Tax (PILOT) agreement and a $900,000 grant.

While disappointed by Truck-Lite’s decision to move its remaining presence out of the county, Mark Geise, chief executive officer of the IDA, said he feels good knowing officials likely did everything possible to keep the manufacturer here — though to no avail.

“At the end of the day, I know we did everything we could,” he said. “Honestly, I feel really, really good. We went above and beyond and it wasn’t enough. Maybe they already had their minds made up.”

It’s not known when the company will officially vacate its current location in Falconer. A call seeking comment was not returned Friday.

In April, Geise first confirmed that Truck-Lite had been looking at relocating about 100 employees from Falconer. The options at the time included remaining in Chautauqua County at a new, more economically feasible location; move to a new site to be constructed in Warren County; or move operations to the Erie region.

PJ Wendel, during a County Executive Breakfast hosted by the county Chamber of Commerce on Friday, also noted the nearly yearlong effort to keep Truck-Lite anchored in the area.

“Seeing them move to Pennsylvania in Knowledge Park isn’t surprising,” Wendel said. “The IDA made efforts in 50% of the funding for a new project — a new build. It wasn’t for a lack of trying to keep Truck-Lite here in Chautauqua County. IDA has worked feverishly. … Several different people have commented on the efforts that the IDA took to try to keep Truck-Lite here. At the end of the day, it’s the business environment. I’m not pushing the blame but we need to be more business-friendly here in New York state, not only Chautauqua County.”

Wendel said the county’s close proximity to Pennsylvania likely factored into the company’s decision. “We are so close to Pennsylvania, whether it’s Warren County or Erie County,” he said. “It’s so easy for a manufacturer to go across the border, into Warren, into Erie … set up manufacturing facilities with lower costs and lower taxes.”

As Geise noted in a phone interview, Wendel told those who joined the breakfast that the loss of Truck-Lite wasn’t for a lack of trying.

“That move, we tried everything in our power to get them to stay there,” Wendel said, “but at the end of the day, they made the move. Very disappointing. … We tried a lot of different avenues and opportunities, but at the end of the day going across the state line is just a little bit more appetizing than staying here.”

Truck-Lite was founded by George D. Baldwin in 1955 in rented quarters in Jamestown. Ground was broken at the Elmwood Avenue location in Falconer in 1966. The now-empty plant is currently up for sale.

Brian Kupchella, CEO of Clarience Technologies, parent company of Truck-Lite, said the move to the Erie area will improve future access to “engineering and technology talent” as the company prepares for the transportation industry’s shift to electric vehicles in the future.

“As the transportation industry shifts toward electric vehicles, developing new innovations for customers relies on our ability to attract, develop and retain qualified talent,” Kupchella said.

Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf said he was pleased to see Truck-Lite announce the move of its headquarters to the state.

“Truck-Lite is a manufacturer renowned for innovation in its field with an established Pennsylvania footprint, and with its new proximity to and support from the talent pool at Penn State Behrend, the possibilities for continued growth and product development are endless,” Wolf said. “My administration is pleased to welcome another Truck-Lite site to the commonwealth and eager to witness the collaborative work that will result from its longtime partnership with one of the state’s top higher education facilities.”