SALEM, Va. – If you’re driving through the Salem area, you may have noticed something going on at the old General Electric property.
There are bulldozers and cranes on the property located off of Roanoke Boulevard.
City documents confirm that the site will be used for manufacturing.
A construction company is adding 32,800 square feet to the old building, an $8 million value.
We reached out to project leaders to see if we could find out what company is going into this site, one responded saying they’re not allowed to discuss the project.
As for the city of Salem, a spokesperson responded saying they are very excited like for any new business, but can’t discuss any specifics at this point.
A Salem spokesperson said current companies managing the project include owner, Phoenix Investors in Milwaukee the owner and leasing agent, Colliers International, who is based out of Charlottesville. WSLS 10 reached out to both companies, but have not heard back. Avis Construction Company is listed as the contractor for the project.
“STS Tenant upfit and building addition” are listed on the documents, with the tenant Engineer listed as “STS North America” based in Troy, MI.
December 2019 was the last day for operations at General Electric in Salem. The company previously announced it was closing the facility, with 265 employees losing their jobs. Other GE locations and supplier partners were expected pick up the work from the plant.
GE HISTORY IN SALEM
- Grading began on the original 96-acre tract in June of 1954
- Operations began in October 1955
- 450,000 square foot facility began full operations in 1956
- 2,200 employees on the original payroll – including 300 executives and supervisors, who transferred here from other parts of the country
- Records indicate that employment at the plant reached 3,500 at its peak
- Operations ended in December 2019