RACER Trust Honors Lear Corporation for Successful Reuse of Former Buick City Property in Flint, Mich.
Fortune 500 Automotive Seat Supplier Employs More Than 600 at Facility
OKLAHOMA CITY — RACER Trust today announced that Lear Corporation, a global automotive technology leader in Seating and E-Systems, is the winner of a 2022 RACER’s Edge Award for Manufacturing, in recognition of its successful redevelopment and reuse of a portion of the former GM Buick City property in Flint, Mich.
Jozef Chrzanowski, Lear Vice President of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), left, and Elliott P. Laws, Administrative Trustee, RACER Trust.Lear purchased just under 30 acres of the former Buick City property and built a 156,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, a $29.3 million investment. The facility, which opened in 2018 and was the first new major automotive production investment in Flint in decades, today employs more than 600 people.
Elliott P. Laws, of EPLET, LLC, administrative trustee of RACER Trust, presented the RACER’s Edge Award to Jozef Chrzanowski (left), Lear Vice President of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), at an awards reception in conjunction with the U.S. EPA’s National Brownfields Training Conference in Oklahoma City. The award recognizes redevelopment excellence at a former RACER property.
“Lear Corporation’s investment was an important milestone for the City of Flint and for RACER Trust,” Mr. Laws said. “Lear has done what it said it would do in Flint and more, providing new jobs and opportunities for the community while revitalizing a property that had long been idled. We congratulate Lear Corporation for its ongoing success in Flint and around the globe. Great companies make a positive difference, and that is what Lear Corporation is doing in Flint.”
“Lear is grateful for the recognition from RACER Trust for our environmental sustainability efforts in Flint. We are committed to being a responsible employer and supplier that is dedicated to the well-being of our employees, the success of our customers and the improvement of the communities where we live and work,” Mr. Chrzanowski said.
“Lear Corporation is known throughout the world for its quality, and it’s extremely gratifying that the company put its faith in our community and that we have delivered,” Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley said. “Companies like Lear choose very carefully when deciding where to deploy capital and put down roots, and Lear’s choice of Flint is a strong endorsement that other businesses and entrepreneurs notice.”
(L-R): David Favero, Deputy Michigan Cleanup Manager, RACER Trust; Grant Trigger, Michigan Cleanup Manager, RACER Trust; Bruce Rasher, Redevelopment Manager, RACER Trust; Jozef Chrzanowski, Lear Vice President of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG); Elliott P. Laws, Administrative Trustee, RACER Trust.
About RACER Trust: RACER (Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response) Trust was created to clean up and position for redevelopment properties and other facilities owned by the former General Motors Corp. before its 2009 bankruptcy. When it was formed in 2011, RACER was one of the largest holders of industrial property in the United States and was the largest environmental response and remediation trust in U.S. history. Its initial property holdings were at 89 locations in 14 states, principally in the Midwest and Northeast. The Trust was created by a settlement agreement in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court between the U.S. Government, the 14 states where the former GM properties are located, and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, which owns land adjoining one of the properties in Upstate New York. For more information, please visit our website: www.racertrust.org.
About Lear Corporation: Lear, a global automotive technology leader in Seating and E-Systems, enables superior in-vehicle experiences for consumers around the world. Lear’s diverse team of talented employees in 38 countries is driven by a commitment to innovation, operational excellence, and sustainability. Lear is Making every drive better™ by providing the technology for safer, smarter, and more comfortable journeys. Lear, headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, serves every major automaker in the world and ranks 186 on the Fortune 500. Further information about Lear is available at www.lear.com or on Twitter @LearCorporation.