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• Clopay plans to close Baldwin facility
• Baldwin receives $56,600 clean-up grant

Griffon Corporation has announced that its garage door business ("Clopay") will consolidate operations at two production facilities into its manufacturing plant located in Troy, Ohio.

Clopay currently operates four manufacturing facilities in Baldwin, Wis.; Troy, Ohio; Russia, Ohio; and Auburn, Wash.

According to company officials, all of the operations conducted in the Baldwin plant and substantially all of the operations conducted in the Russia facility will be relocated to Troy, Ohio, and the Baldwin facility will be closed.

According to the Village of Baldwin Web site, Clopay is the community's largest employer, with some 335 employees.

All active employees at the Russia facility are being offered employment at the Troy facility. Officials fail to indicate if the Baldwin employees will be offered jobs elsewhere in the company.

According to a press release, Griffon Corporation management believes that when the consolidation is completed in early 2011, it will result in estimated annual cash savings of more than $10 million based upon current sales levels.

The consolidation comes as a result of Clopay's aggressive campaign to improve manufacturing efficiencies and bring new technologies to market to better serve its customers.

"These actions will enable us to centralize production at our most technologically advanced facility so that Clopay can improve its manufacturing efficiency while improving our ability to serve the needs of our customers," stated Steve Lynch, president of Clopay Building Products Company. "Clopay has a legacy of strong performance and exceptional potential for growth. By consolidating our manufacturing, we will streamline operations, lower costs and maintain the flexibility to meet supply demands now and in the future."

Clopay Building Products Company is a leading manufacturer and marketer of residential, commercial and industrial garage doors to professional installing dealers and major home center retail chains.

The village of Baldwin has been awarded a $56,600 site assessment grant from the state Department of Natural Resources to conduct environmental site assessment work, demolition and asbestos abatement associated with demolition at the former Thompson Property at 702 Main Street.

Vacant for over a year, contamination on the site comes from businesses operated prior to its most recent use as a refrigerator sales and repair venture. Residue from a gas station, auto repair business and battery cracking will be addressed by the grant funds. Built in the 1880s, the property is strategically located in the village's downtown historic district.

Village officials hope to remediate the property for commercial development.

Brownfields are abandoned, idle or under-utilized properties where redevelopment has been hindered because former commercial or industrial use might have left contamination.

Baldwin is one of the 29 communities mentioned by Gov. Jim Doyle earlier this year in announcing $1.7 million in brownfield grants for 2009.

"The cleanup and safe reuse of brownfield properties is about more than just renewing damaged or vacant land," said Gov. Jim Doyle. "It also helps spur additional reinvestment in these communities and create jobs for hardworking Wisconsin families."

More than half of the site assessment grants this year are being awarded to rural communities.

All local government units and economic development corporations are eligible to apply for small grants up to $30,000 and large grants up to $100,000. The next annual application deadline will occur in the fall of 2009.