In a press release, the port said AIG plans to commence grading and site preparation work as soon as possible, in order to construct a planned 80,000-square-foot facility by July 2013. The facility is expected to employ up to 160 employees at full build-out, a combination of new hires and existing employees from AIG and its subsidiaries – Alpha Iron and Vancouver Steel Painters.
“We made the decision to build at the port of Ridgefield property as a result of availability of a trained workforce, a city that is business friendly and a port that is committed to bring jobs to their community,” said Jim Buchan, president of Alliance Industrial Group Inc., in a press release. “The Port’s cooperation will allow our companies to compete in a challenging economic environment and continue growing our businesses. Our new facility will be very close to the new freeway interchange, and the property is almost entirely shovel-ready, allowing us to build sooner and get the new plant up and running.”
“Alliance Industrial Group is the perfect addition to the types of businesses we’re recruiting to the Discovery Corridor” added port CEO Brent Grening. “This is a state of the art manufacturing facility that will bring great jobs to the Ridgefield community, and will be a resource for other businesses in the area and those which come later.”
The Port of Ridgefield’s industrial park will be completely built out once AIG’s new facility is finished. However, that doesn’t mean development at the port is slowing down. Grening said the port will now shift its focus to developing 25 acres of industrial land to the south of the existing industrial park, the 30 acre Discovery Ridge office park to the west and the 40 acre Millers Landing redevelopment of the Ridgefield waterfront.
