A longtime Bridgeport machine shop plans to move operations to the Fox Hollow industrial park in Oxford.
Gen-El Mec Associates, Inc., now based on State Street in Bridgeport, has bought two lots totaling 6.2 acres at Fox Hollow, according to Herman Schuler, the town’s economic development director.
A 30,000 square foot building has already been approved for the land, and the company plans to start construction in August, according to president Dean Contaxis.
Contaxis said he wants to move operations to Oxford because he believes there is a more qualified pool of workers in the area.
The company currently employs 26 people, making machined metal parts for aerospace, medical, semiconductor and other industries.
Contaxis said he will be looking for two new workers once the company moves. The specialized jobs are “computer numeric control lathe” and “milling machine programmer and operators.”
“I can’t find them, and I’m hoping maybe there are guys in the Waterbury, Thomaston area, somewhere up there,” Contaxis said.
He said the company was unhappy at its longtime location, and that Oxford has a better tax rate and is more countrified.
“The tax structure is much more friendly than Bridgeport is right now, but one of the bigger reasons was I hope to expand the employee pool,” Contaxis said
Schuler expects to officially announce the company’s plans in a press release this week.
First Selectman Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers said Schuler deserves a pat on the back for the good work he is doing building the industrial base.
“I just want o point out what an outstanding job Herman does, regardless of what’s happening in the state or around us,” Drayton-Rogers said. “Herman in particular knows details of every piece of property and every possible use for that property, so he can do an excellent job matching up a customer with what we have to offer.”
