Bridgeport Economic Development Director Don Eversley has issued a statement to OIB regarding Modern Plastics’ decision to move to Shelton. Modern Plastics President Bing Carbone told OIB the city was unresponsive to his request for a chat to further his company’s 65-year relationship with the city. Eversley says hold on a minute. Eversley statement:
The City has worked with Modern Plastics many times over the years. In fact, the Office of Economic Development & Planning helped Modern Plastics obtain development rights to an adjacent State Street parcel so that they could expand. But instead, the workforce continued to dwindle, the property was sold and it is now home to Auto Zone.
Once the Carbone family sold the company some years ago it became apparent that the intention of the new owner was to move out of Bridgeport. OPED has no record of any request for assistance from Modern Plastics in the last two years and the company had not shared its requirements for alternate space, given that their current building was now too large for the smaller operation.
It is worth noting that the company is not only moving the Bridgeport unit but also its locations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island as part of a company-wide consolidation in Shelton.
While it is unfortunate that this firm is moving, Bridgeport’s economic base has been “holding its own” during these very tough times and OPED has worked hard to market the city and foster a positive climate for business. The buzz about Bridgeport has never been better as evidenced by the many new entrepreneurs that have been drawn to town.
Major businesses that have recently moved into the city include Gault, United Rentals, Columbia Elevator and electronics giant PC Richards, which is locating a 70,000 square foot office and regional distribution complex here in our town.
Meanwhile, despite the continued flight of American jobs overseas longtime Bridgeport manufacturers such as Lacey, Rotair Industries, Sikorsky, Norwalk Vault, Alloy Engineering, Calzone Case and others continue to employ a large local workforce and companies like Lecoq Cuisine, DRS Fermont, B&E Juices, ColorBlends and Derecktor Shipyards are growing.
In the retail sector, we have added 2 major new grocery stores, PriceRite and Food Bazaar, totaling 300 new jobs, and two dozen new stores and restaurants in the downtown.
We are particularly proud of the growing cluster of firms in media, design, advertising, and other creative fields. These companies–like Tarquin Studios, SUMO Web Works, Bananaland, Gulick Builders, Rampage, Borres Productions, Bridgeport Design Group, Toppings, Abbate Marketing, RCI Drums, NU Revealed and Archichord Architects–employ young teams of talented people who could go anywhere, yet choose to be a part of a new exciting generation of Bridgeport entrepreneurs.
Our future has never looked brighter.
Yada, Yada, Yada
Must be groundhog day already, Eversley has popped his head out. This administration has not earned any credibility toward telling the truth about anything.
Not a bad rebuttal.
Mr. Neversley!
What have you Don for us lately???
Wake Up Little Snoozie, Wake Up!!!
Bravo, Don. Bridgeport’s future is very bright! Excellent listing of accomplishments despite one of the worst national economic downturns and financial paralysis.
Haha, I get it. Sarcasm.
Nancy, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!
“… OPED has no record of any request for assistance from Modern Plastics in the last two years …”
Lennie, what would you say if Carbone produced some documents or phone logs to dispute this claim? I’m expecting Whamond to make a similar defense.
The bottom line is the original owner, Mr. Jim Carbone, was a stand-up guy who truly cared about the city and would have never abandoned it.
Does anyone (i.e. Jim Carbone) want to face the truth? He had no intention from the get-go of expanding that business. I sat on the West End Committee with Jim and knew full well he was full of it–and himself. More so, I’ve been inside Modern Plastics and it’s in horrible condition, not conducive to manufacturing or anything else. No wonder Bing Carbone and his employees wanted out. As for the City, why is it they are always covering their butts instead of doing something??!! Bing wasn’t the one making false promises to the city. Way to go Bing, no harm done!