EASTON – U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., wrapped up his annual 62-county tour Monday with a visit to Washington County.
Schumer toured the Hollingsworth and Vose paper mill Monday.
The privately-owned company, based in Massachusetts and founded in 1843, employs about 200 at its Easton plant and its research and development center in Greenwich.
“If we don’t keep our manufacturing jobs, we’re going to lose. These are the companies that are with it,” Schumer said, speaking to a group of workers and political leaders, including state Sen. Elizabeth Little, R-Queensbury, Assemblyman Tony Jordan, R-Jackson, and Washington County supervisors Seth Pitts, of Salem, and John Rymph, of Easton.
“You want to have faith in the future of America, come to Hollingsworth & Vose, and you’ll get some,” Schumer said.
The company manufactures a variety of battery components, including a high-tech woven material used to separate the positive and negative plates in batteries for new “start/stop” fuel-efficient vehicles.
Engines in such vehicles turn off when the cars are stopped and restart when the gas pedal is pressed. Schumer said the reduced engine running time saves gas, cuts consumer costs at the pump and results in more fuel-efficient vehicles.
“This is a linchpin of technology that will help people around the world, and it’s made right here in Washington County,” Schumer said. “Here is an old company, founded seven or eight generations ago, making something new.”
Schumer said keeping manufacturing local, and the resulting creation of new jobs, provides a model for growth during difficult economic times.
The company increased its local workforce by 10 percent over the past year, adding 18 jobs.
Company CEO Val Hollingsworth said evolution is key to the survival and success of the business.
“We have invested a lot in research and development. We wouldn’t make it if we were still just making writing paper here,” Hollingsworth said.
Monday’s visit by Schumer marked the first tour of the facility by a state senator in decades, said process engineer Rick Tefft, who has worked at the Easton plant for 28 years.
“This is a great plant. It’s American-operated, and they employ a whole lot of people,” said Easton Supervisor John Rymph.
Schumer was presented with an orange-and-white Adirondack Phantoms jersey with his name on the back and bearing the number 62 – symbolizing his 62-county tour – as a thank-you for his effort to bring professional hockey to the region.
During a brief gathering with reporters, Schumer said he believed the death Sunday of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Il may provide a new opportunity for dialogue with that country, though he urged caution in the near term.
“We’re talking with South Korea to make sure nothing militarily untoward happens in the next few days,” Schumer said.
