Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced on Wednesday the launch of a Task Force for those affected by the sudden closure of Sumitomo Rubber USA plant in the Town of Tonawanda.
"Erie County is prepared to take a leadership role with our partners in managing the future of the site, which is why I signed the executive order to create the Task Force to address all issues related to the closure of the facility,” said Poloncarz in a statement on Wednesday. "The Task Force includes representatives from my administration, New York State, the Erie County Industrial Development Agency, the ECIDA’s Industrial Land Development Corporation, the Town of Tonawanda, Workforce Buffalo, the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, and several others. This is a strong collaboration of business and governmental partners with a focus on not only getting former Sumitomo employees into new jobs but also securing the best possible future for the site."
Sumitomo Rubber Industries in Japan voted on Nov. 7 to immediately close operations at the plant in the Town of Tonawanda, resulting in 1,550 employees losing their jobs. Upon learning of the surprise closure, the Poloncarz administration has been working with state, local, business, and labor partners to organize a comprehensive response.
The creation of this Task Force is one of the many, collaborative steps.
"My economic development team has had multiple meetings with all stakeholders and went on a site tour on Dec. 4 to better assess the condition and future of the 130-acre site," Poloncarz stated. "Industrial redevelopment has been a cornerstone of my administration, and we want to see this 101-year-old site put back into productive use as quickly and efficiently as possible. There are ongoing conversations and ideas in the works, and more information from Erie County and our partners will be shared in the coming weeks."
1,550 employees lost their jobs when Sumitomo shut down.