VIENNA Authority missteps on seating factory

The port authority hopes to jump-start development of its land around the airport.
By STEPHEN SIFF
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
VIENNA -- The Western Reserve Port Authority may have missed out on an opportunity to develop some of its land because no one thought to call a company that planned to move to the area.
There is still a small chance that Intier Automotive Seating could build its factory on port authority-owned land near the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, said port authority board member Thomas Petrarca.
But that small chance could have been nearly a sure thing if someone from the port authority had called the Novi, Mich., company when word first got out that it would be moving to the area, he said.
Won contract
Intier, which won a contract to produce seats for the new Lordstown-buit GM Cobalt, is rushing to get a factory into production by the first part of next year.
A site on Ridge Road near the airport is the preferred location for Intier to build the plant.
"I think we need a development expert," Petrarca told the board. "We have to be proactive and not just wait for opportunity to walk in the door."
The port authority board, which also runs the airport, has raised the possibility of hiring a development expert in the past, but it always runs up against the authority's fragile finances.
"I don't think we can afford to do this right now," said board member Clarence Smith.
Expert hired
In March 2002, the board actually hired a development expert, Bruce Miller, to work part time for $88,000 a year. He quit for another job a few months later, leaving behind only the draft copy of a report to show for his efforts.
Petrarca proposed hiring someone with experience in business, to earn "in the high five or low six figures."
"I think that if the person's salary is $40,000 or $50,000 a year, you will create a patronage job, which only will get you 10 percent of the results" compared with a higher-paid expert, he said.
Board member John Masternick said he thought the job could be filled for the lower amount. An intern or graduate student may be willing to do development work in exchange for only housing, he said.
Social breakfasts
The board decided to schedule regular social breakfasts with commercial real estate agents, so future tips and deals might come their way.
The port authority's financial situation remains precarious, as officials again find themselves waiting for subsidy checks from Trumbull and Mahoning counties. A check for $62,000 from Trumbull County is expected in a few days, said airport director Steve Bowser.
Mahoning County still owes $85,000 on its 2003 pledge to the airport, he said.
The port authority has $155,921 in its bank account and owes $150,750 in outstanding bills, Bowser said.
siff@vindy.com