Graf Tech Leaving Lakewood?

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Bill Call
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Graf Tech Leaving Lakewood?

Post by Bill Call »

The company has announced that it is relocating its Parma headquarters to an unnamed location. Parma will lose about $1 million in income tax revenue. Don't be surprised to see them close the manufacturing facility in Lakewood. The Lakewood facility employs about 150 people.

The Port Authority spent hundreds of millions to encourage downtown development and Crocker Park development. Will they spend anything in Parma or Lakewood? That's what they call a rhetorical question because we already know the answer.
Jeff Dreger
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Re: Graf Tech Leaving Lakewood?

Post by Jeff Dreger »

I don't think they'll leave Lakewood. The only move mentioned anywhere refer to its plans to "downsize its corporate functions “by approximately 25 percent” and move to a smaller headquarters" (i.e. close Parma HQ). It's even possible they'd move it to Lakewood but I have no idea what available space there is. In any case, no WARN letter for Lakewood yet. I know they've said in the past that they want to stay in the U.S. generally and NE OH specifically. Plus moving manufacturing is usually a much bigger deal than moving offices, especially if you're not downsizing that part.
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Jim O'Bryan
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Re: Graf Tech Leaving Lakewood?

Post by Jim O'Bryan »

From the Parma Observer 2012...

http://www.parmaobserver.com/read/2012/03/01/mayor-delivers-first-state-of-the-city-address-at-graftech

Image

Mayor Tim DeGeeter

“I chose the campus of GrafTech for this occasion, because the alkaline battery and the world's first carbon fiber were discovered here,” he said. “And today, this campus is the site of GrafTech's World Headquarters and home to its Corporate Research and Development. GrafTech is a company on the move. How fitting that it sits in Parma.”

How times change.

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Jim O'Bryan
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Bill Call
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Re: Graf Tech Leaving Lakewood?

Post by Bill Call »

Jim O'Bryan wrote:How times change.




Every once in a while I save an article for future reference. One of the articles I did not save was a study on why companies move and where they move. The conclusion of the author was that if you new where the CEO wanted to live you almost certainly know where the company will move. The numbers would be provided to support the predetermined conclusion.

Someone later opinioned that knowing where the CEO's wife wanted to live is an even better predictor.
Bill Call
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Re: Graf Tech Leaving Lakewood?

Post by Bill Call »

County executives say they will stay in Northeast Ohio.

The Lakewood Center building seems a good choice. There aren't enough hours in the day to list all of the subsidies offered to companies to move to Westlake or downtown but if there why not here?

Of course the Lakewood Center building could have been bought for a few million and used as the site of a new Clinic/Lakewood hospital facility and or a Tri-C campus but no one was interested.
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