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GOVERNOR SPITZER ANNOUNCES MANUFACTURING FIRM TO BRING NEARLY 300 JOBS TO CENTRAL NEW YORK
BITZER Scroll, Inc. Will Invest More than $30 Million Over Five Years

Governor Eliot Spitzer today announced that BITZER Scroll, a large independent manufacturer of air conditioning and refrigeration compressors, will create close to 300 high-end engineering and manufacturing jobs at a former General Motors (GM) facility just outside Syracuse in the Town of Salina.

The company will leverage a grant from the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) to invest more than $30 million over the next five years to design and manufacture scroll compressors used by major air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment manufacturers and contractors. As part of the $1.4 million grant from ESDC, the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems committed $100,000 to BITZER for a collaborative research and development project involving Syracuse University faculty and students, which will create opportunities for internships.

“BITZER Scroll could have located just about anywhere in the world, but the company chose Syracuse and Central New York because we demonstrated the value of our workforce and our knowledge-based resources,” said Governor Spitzer. “We are working to bring good paying jobs back to Upstate New York, and companies like BITZER Scroll will be the cornerstone for the economic revitalization that will ensure our future. That is why our proposed $1 billion Upstate Revitalization Fund is so important and why we simply can’t afford to wait any longer.”

Richard Kobor, Chief Technical Officer of BITZER GmbH and Holding KG and President of BITZER Scroll Inc., said: “Central New York has a wealth of resources that made it a great fit for our new scroll compressor business. We believe that we can, and will, utilize the knowledge of the workforce to overcome any challenges we may face.”

While BITZER has approximately 3,000 employees worldwide, the new Central New York location will be just the second US-based manufacturing facility for the company. BITZER chose Central New York based on a number of factors, including business development incentives, local workforce expertise in compressor design, and regional strengths in energy and environmental systems research and development.

In addition to ESDC, a number of public and private organizations and businesses played key roles in securing BITZER’s commitment to Central New York. Syracuse University and the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems, National Grid, the Onondaga County Office of Economic Development, the Central New York Technology Development Organization (TDO), the Manufacturer’s Association of Central New York (MACNY), the New York State Foundation for Science, Technology, and Innovation (NYSTAR), and the New York State Energy and Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) all played pivotal roles to help bring BITZER to the region.

Senator John A. DeFrancisco said: “I applaud BITZER Scroll for its investment in the Central New York business community and in our region's workforce. This will provide a tremendous boost to our Central New York economy, create lasting and well paying jobs, and hopefully encourage other businesses to make the same kind of investment in our Upstate economy.”

Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli, Chair of the Assembly Commission on Science and Technology and the Commission on University-Industry Cooperation, said: “Central New York is home to a thriving innovation economy and I am so pleased to welcome BITZER Scroll to our region. This is a company that will provide good-paying, stable jobs that will grow our economy and help stabilize our tax base.”

Assemblyman Al Stirpe said: “I hope the rest of the world soon discovers what BITZER has found in Central NY – a tremendous amount of intellectual capital created from decades of industrial leadership complemented by a highly skilled workforce, a superior higher education system and an economic development group ready to make things happen.”

Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney said: “We would like to thank BITZER Scroll for choosing Onondaga County as the best location for their manufacturing operations expansion. Empire State Development, National Grid, CNY Technology Development Organization, NYSTAR, the Center of Excellence and Onondaga County’s Economic Development Office all worked together to show the executives of BITZER Scroll that Onondaga County is a great place to do business. Having a strong international company such as BITZER Scroll expand their presence in Onondaga County is further proof that our strong workforce and affordable living allow us to compete with anyone when it comes to economic development. We are hopeful that this is the first of many expansion announcements we will make with BITZER Scroll as our relationship moves forward.”

Daniel C. Gundersen, Chairman of the Upstate Empire State Development Corporation, said: “This investment from a world-renowned manufacturer is extraordinary news for Central New York. BITZER Scroll recognizes that this region has what it takes to compete: a skilled workforce, solid institutions and a great business climate.”

Paul D. Tonko, President and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, said: “BITZER Scroll locating to Syracuse complements the State’s efforts to attract and grow energy and environmental companies in Upstate New York. The facility will help support the new ‘green-collar’ workforce that is quickly being introduced through the numerous energy technology companies being established throughout the State. NYSERDA welcomes BITZER Scroll to New York and commends the strong partnership fostered between Syracuse Center of Excellence and its partners to bring this effort to fruition.”

Edward Reinfurt, Executive Director of NYSTAR, said: “Technology leadership drives innovation and provides job growth. Today's announcement from BITZER Scroll is a great example of how the investment New York State has made in research and development leads to commercialization of new technologies and economic growth.”

Syracuse University Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor said: “The state and local team who recruited BITZER Scroll to Syracuse – from Governor Spitzer to leaders at our Center of Excellence – have set a shining example of how collaboration among a wide range of sectors can produce exceptional results for an entire community. Our city and our region will benefit for generations to come, both from the hundreds of new jobs and the strengthened, lasting relationships among the firms and institutions that collaborated to recruit BITZER Scroll here.”

BITZER Scroll currently occupies 3,300 square feet of leased space housing mostly design and manufacturing engineers. The company will immediately expand into 60,000 square feet at the Salina Power Park and expects to develop a stand alone facility in Central New York by 2011. BITZER is known for technical innovation and environmentally friendly products, and has won numerous awards, including the 2007 Frost and Sullivan European Competitive Leadership Strategy Award.