Although the unemployment rate in Massachusetts may still be higher than desirable, new jobs are continuing to be created in the state. Moreover, new positions are not only springing up in the Boston area, but also in places such as Fall River, which is reported to have one of the highest unemployment rates in the state at 14%. This week, TPI Composites, an Arizona-based manufacturer of wind turbine blades, announced plans to bring jobs into the city by opening a facility along Fall River’s waterfront.“It’s a good sign for Fall River,” the city’s mayor, William A. Flanagan, said. “It’s a great sign for Massachusetts.” (Image courtesy: http://www.tpicomposites.com/)
TPI's new, 69,000-square-foot factory will serve as the “development hub” for the company’s Rhode Island, Iowa, Mexico, and China locations. If everything proceeds as planned, the factory will be operational as early as January of next year, creating approximately 30 new positions. Contingent on meeting these hiring estimates, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center has agreed to award TPI a $250,000 grant to help fund its expansion.
“The main reason we decided to locate here was the proximity to our existing work force,” explained TPI CEO Steve Lockard about why Fall River was selected.
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick spoke enthusiastic about TPI opening a facility in the state, expressing that supporting Green Tech makes sense because it is the industry of the future. “We believe if we get this right, the whole world will be our customer,” Governor Patrick said.
With Governor Patrick’s unwavering support of Green Tech, perhaps more companies from the industry will follow TPI’s example and open locations in the region. While Massachusetts’ jobless rate continues to hold at well under the national average, it is important to remember the individual towns, like Fall River, that still have unemployment rates reaching into the mid-teens. New facilities creating new positions in these areas will be beneficial to everyone.
[Sources: http://bit.ly/9xQn0e, http://bit.ly/aKa6Fm, http://bit.ly/c1REaV]
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