The former Truck-Lite plant in Falconer. P-J photo by Eric Tichy

On the heels of an “epic year,” the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency said aspirations for 2023 include filling several vacant buildings — among them the former Truck-Lite plant on Elmwood Avenue in Falconer.

It now appears a manufacturer is looking at purchasing the facility.

In its 2022 annual report, the county Industrial Development Agency — as part of on-going efforts to “re-activate” properties of community importance — said it planned to continue working with a manufacturer “who is seeking to purchase the Truck-Lite facility.”

Other properties deemed important by the county IDA for re-use include the Furniture Mart building in Jamestown, the sale and redevelopment of the former ConAgra building on Talcott Street in Dunkirk and the former Silver Creek School.

Mark Geise, deputy county executive for economic development and county IDA chief executive officer, would not comment directly on potential developments for the Falconer plant. Located at 310 E. Elmwood Ave., the 145,000-square-foot industrial property has remained vacant since Truck-Lite moved its headquarters to Pennsylvania.

“We will continue to help market these facilities and follow up with interested parties to provide incentives and technical assistance to put these facilities back into productive use,” Geise said of the properties identified for re-use in its annual report.

While the county IDA may be tight-lipped about a new tenant in Falconer, a public hearing held last August may offer clues to one potential buyer.

The Chautauqua Region Economic Development Corp., a subsidiary of the county IDA, asked the village to apply for a grant up to $750,000 from the Office of Community Renewal. A similar grant is being sought for renovations of the Hotel Lenhart in Bemus Point.

Carol Rasmussen, CREDC business development manager, spoke during an Aug. 29 public hearing before the Falconer Village Board regarding the funds, which she said would be provided in the form of a loan to ND PressTec “in financing a portion of the machinery and equipment, furnishings, and/or working capital costs incurred in the company’s establishment of a new brass component manufacturing operation at an existing industrial facility located on East Elmwood Avenue in the Village of Falconer.”

According to its website, ND PressTec is a leading partner for ammunition manufacturing for small and medium calibers. The company is based in Germany and is currently under ownership of the NAMMO Group.

An email to NAMMO Group’s communications manager was not returned this week.

At an estimated cost of $10 million, according to information provided at the August 2022 public hearing, the project was expected to create about 80 full-time jobs. As is required by the Community Development Block Grant program, the majority of jobs must be made available to low- and moderate-income individuals.

It’s not clear if the village’s application for funds has been successful.

August’s public hearing was to solicit public input and comment. If funds are awarded, another public hearing will be required during the implementation phase of the project or activity the CDBG funds are supporting.

Truck-Lite in June 2021 announced it was formally moving its headquarters — and with it about 100 remaining jobs — across the state line to Pennsylvania. The company announced it was setting up shop by the end of 2021 at Knowledge Park on the Penn State Behrend campus near Erie, Pa.

Truck-Lite, a manufacturer of truck and trailer safety lighting, already had closed its Falconer plant in 2020 and had been eyeing relocating the remaining corporate office workforce.

“At the end of the day, I know we did everything we could,” Geise said at the time the company announced it was leaving Chautauqua County. “Honestly, I feel really, really good. We went above and beyond and it wasn’t enough. Maybe they already had their minds made up.”

Truck-Lite was founded by George D. Baldwin in 1955 in rented quarters in Jamestown. Ground was broken on Elmwood Avenue in Falconer for the new plant 1966.