By Greg Halbleib
NORMAL – A once-thriving automobile manufacturing plant closed its doors in 2016, but many of the lost jobs moved closer to restoration as the year comes to a close.
After 27 years of producing automobiles on the northwest corner of Normal, the last 170 workers punched the time clock for the final time at the Mitsubishi Motors plant at the end of May. About 1,200 workers lost their jobs. A liquidation firm, Maynards Industries, purchased the 2.5 million-square-foot facility and took ownership on June 1, saying they would continue to search for someone to take over the massive structure with demolition only considered as a last resort.
Leaders in Normal, Bloomington and McLean County insisted there was interest in the plant and that they were also working behind the scenes to find a buyer.
Maynards scheduled an auction for October but postponed it, raising hopes that a buyer was in line. After a few more weeks of curious anticipation, the announcement that the plant had a buyer came on December 9, as seven-year-old Rivian Automotive reached agreement which was confirmed by Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council CEO Kyle Ham.
“The plan is to scale up for automotive production to be about 500 jobs in the first five years with the potential to grow to 1,000,” Ham said.
Some reports cited sources that Rivian would be in the electric automobile market, including self-driving vehicles. Rivian only says that it’s redefining traditional automotive economics.
Rivian chief R.J. Scaringe said he wants his operation to be a true part of the community.
“We’ve got tremendous ability to make parts, machine things, cut things, fabricate things,” Scaringe said after meeting with local leaders. “so there’s an opportunity to actually open some of that space up to actually allow students, entrepeneurs, people to come in and build things for their businesses or school projects.”
In any case, the Michigan-based company reached agreement on incentives would rebate up to 100 percent of property taxes based on employment numbers. Normal Mayor Chris Koos said local government leaders insisted on seeing jobs first before incentives kick in. Koos said Rivian had better offers in other cities, but the community and the plant here stood out.
“The COO said, ‘I’ve been in a lot of auto plants in a lot of auto communities, and when one is shuttered it’s usually a tired old building built in the ’20s or ’30s with not much there,'” Koos said. “It kind of turned their head.”
The company said plans are for 1,000 workers and $175 million in investments by the end of 2021. Rivian may finalize the purchase as early as January.
Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected].
