Tioga County is no Detroit, but we are a part of the automobile industry. Probably very few residents are aware of the involvement in the automobile industry by companies in our county. Over 840 employees’ weekly paychecks come from providing parts to several major automobile manufacturers including Ford, Nissan, Subaru, BMW, Chrysler and Honda. As part of our Buy Tioga County Campaign, we want to make our residents aware of the many products produced and services provided in Tioga County.
In our second series of guest commentaries in the Wellsboro Gazette, the Tioga County Development Corporation will share with you the County’s private sector involvement concerning one of America’s most famous and favored products . . . the automobile. ACP Manufacturing LLC, located on US Route 15 in Lawrence Township, is a state of the arts electric casting center which produces critical safety suspension components for such brands as the Ford Escape, Subaru, Honda and BMW. ACP manufactures nearly 300 types of front end suspension parts for automobiles. The cast parts are then transported to Delmar Township where they undergo precision machining at HN Automotive, Inc., locally still known as the Dresser Plant. The Wellsboro Industrial Park is home to HNAI and their 80 employees. Each part undergoes precision machining to complete it so it is ready for assembly. Standing on Main Street in Wellsboro, one is likely to see a Subaru tractor trailer loaded with ACP parts which have been machined by HNAI, as they are shipped directly to the automotive manufacturers throughout the United States nearly every day.
Charleston Township is the home of Truck-Lite of Wellsboro, which is located along US Route 6. Truck-Lite’s 370 employees manufacture numerous lighting components for the trucking industry. Founded in 1955, Truck-Lite is currently celebrating its 50th year in operation. Some of Truck-Lite’s products can be purchased for consumer use at NAPA Auto Parts Stores, including Tioga County locations in Blossburg, Lawrenceville, Mansfield, Wellsboro and Westfield. Another company located in Charleston Township is MetalKraft, Inc., found on Shumway Hill Road. MetalKraft is Tioga County’s only powdered metals manufacturer (powdered metal is compressed under extreme pressure and heat). This second generation family business employing 45 provides several metal parts to a multitude of domestic and foreign automobile manufacturers.
Located in Mansfield, Keystone North, Inc. has manufactured bearings for several years for various makes and models of automobiles. Employing 46 Tioga County residents, Keystone North is the sole manufacturer of strut bearings for Chrysler’s PT Cruisers and Neons, meeting 100% of Chrysler’s requirements. Keystone North has been in production since 1988 at their Mansfield location.
Buy Tioga County is our new campaign aimed to encourage Tioga County’s 42,000 residents to support their neighbors and help boost the local economy through making informed purchasing decisions. A dollar spent in Tioga County stays in Tioga County. A great deal of products are made in and can be purchased in Tioga County, as the provided examples demonstrate. Making the choice to spend your money here on locally made items is making the choice to help keep our businesses and industries thriving.
The ultimate way for a Tioga County consumer to “Buy Tioga County” would undoubtedly be to purchase a Ford Escape or Subaru from one of the Cole & Burd Automotive dealerships in Richmond Township or a PT Cruiser or Neon from Costy’s Chrysler Jeep in Mansfield. Parts of these vehicles are made here and the vehicles themselves are sold here. This may be a highly unlikely motive for selecting your next automobile, but when you do see an Escape or a Subaru or a Honda or a PT Cruiser or even a BMW or when you pass an 18 wheeler on the highway, you will likely remember the economy in Tioga County and our hard working employees who played a role in the vehicle’s production. When you pass a car dealership, you will hopefully remember the potential positive impact you can make through purchasing your next vehicle locally. So look out Detroit, here comes Tioga County.
If your business or organization would like to participate in the Buy Tioga County campaign, contact the Tioga County Development Corporation at (570) 723-8232 or tcdc4@ptd.net. We encourage all types of businesses and organizations located in Tioga County to join, and your information will be included on buytiogacounty.com free of charge.
Robert J. Blair
President/Chief Executive Officer
Tioga County Development Corporation
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