Carris moving HQ
Toolbox
By Bruce Edwards STAFF WRITER - Published: November 4, 2009
PROCTOR — Carris Reels is relocating its corporate headquarters from Rutland to the former Citizens Bank building on Main Street.
Carris Reels purchased the 10,531-square-foot stone building from Omya Inc. in October and will relocate its corporate offices and its 23 employees from 439 West St. before the end of the year, Carris Reels President Michael Curran said Tuesday.
"This building has always been larger than we needed," Curran said, "so an opportunity arose to purchase the other building so we did so."
He said the 16,000-square-foot West Street building is owned by Bill Carris, the company's board chairman. Before it was purchased by Carris, the building housed the back-room operations of First Vermont Bank.
According to the Proctor town clerk's office, Carris Reels paid $290,000 for the property at 49 Main St.
Carris Reels expects to complete the move to Proctor by mid-December, which will have no effect on the Center Rutland manufacturing operations, Curran said.
The Proctor building became available after Citizens Bank closed its branch in April and Omya completed the relocation of workers from the same building to its new headquarters in Cincinnati. Omya had leased space to Citizens Bank. Starting in the late 1880s, the stone building was first home to Proctor Trust Co.
The move by Carris Reels is good news for Proctor, which has experienced a loss of Omya jobs, Town Clerk and Treasurer Mary Dahlin said.
Two years ago, Omya announced plans to relocate its North American headquarters from Proctor to Cincinnati and with it 90 employees.
Omya spokesman Linda Pleiman said the company continues to employ 50 workers in Proctor and another 150 at its Florence calcium carbonate plant. The company also laid off 17 workers earlier this year in response to the slumping economy.
The calcium carbonate company also plans to vacate its large office building in town by the end of the year.
Pleiman said Tuesday the company "is working with the town and others on the potential reuse of that building."
Carris Reels manufactures reels for the wire, rope and cable industries. Based in Rutland, the company employs 475 workers throughout North America.
bruce.edwards@rutlandherald.com
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