buick city
to anyone outside of flint ,
buick city
means flint. to anyone who lives in flint ,
buick city
means the buick site. to anyone who works at
the buick
,
buick city
meant the vehicle assembly and metal fabrication operations .
buick city complex to be home of new american cast iron pipe co. plant
at the old buick city complex and putting 50 - 60 people to work .
“buick city” by sara carson reviewed in flint’s east village magazine “. . bold dispatches from ruin, hope…” “buick city” by sara carson reviewed by karen j weyant
gallery: buick city complex to be home of new american cast iron pipe co. plant
the buick lacrosse is one of two cars built at the general motors fairfax in kansas city, kan .
while many workers worry about how buick city' s demise will affect both their city and themselves, others say it might not have such a drastic impact. wilcox, for one, thinks the change could help the city .
the buick city automobile complex on flint' s north side opened in 1904 and became known as
buick city
in 1985. abandoned by gm during its bankruptcy, the last buick rolled off the plant' s assembly line in 1999, and the plant' s operations ceased completely in 2010 .
gm spokeswoman carolyn normandin says the company hopes buick city workers continue to make high - quality products in their new jobs .
buick city plant manager amy d. farmer agrees with gm' s reasoning in closing the plant, but sees how people can get sentimental about a factory. farmer herself is a
flintstone
- - a flint native - - whose grandfather worked in buick city .
i was saddened by the sight. a significant part of the city of flint was the old buick city where buicks were made. as an old buick owner, i was intrigued by what i saw. the general motors parade was going to show a 100 - year history of gm cars .
it goes deeper than not being able to drink water, freeman says. privileges that people have grown used to are now daylong struggles in buick city .
the weston - mott factories at buick industrial & amp; hamilton avenue 1915 .
officials said american has a purchase agreement for the northern - most parcel at buick city, about 18 acres with pierson road as the parcel' s northern boundary .
she and other workers say gm' s reasoning for closing buick city doesn' t make sense, especially after years of promoting the idea that improved quality could save the plant. the plant' s buick lesabre has done well in customer quality surveys, and buick city was rated one of gm' s most efficient plants by a recent industry report - - beating the two plants that will get its production .
million dollar hoods: why l. a. cages more people than any other city
flint, mi - for the first time in 18 years, a new automobile - related manufacturing plant may be coming soon to flint' s former buick city complex .
buick became the top seller in 1908, even outselling ford motor co. that same year, owner william c. durant merged buick and several other automakers to form gm. gm employed more than 75, 000 in the flint area as recently as 1978, and a large sign at the edge of town welcomed motorists to buick city .
since then, sales of the large sedans that make up the heart of buick' s lineup have been falling as many buyers turn to sport utility vehicles instead. in 1997, the company said it would close buick city' s car assembly lines and transfer production to two michigan plants that can handle more models. gm will keep buick city' s engine and parts factories running, as well as a nearby truck plant .
southfield - based lear corp. has received a grant from the michigan economic development corp. to build a $ 30 million plant at the old buick city complex in flint .
captured the city’s decline: “in flint, every day is like a virginia tech. ”
the following is from my book buick muscle cars by: bill holder and phillip kunz .
on june 29 general motors closed the doors of its buick city complex in flint, michigan, its last operating assembly plant in the city. the plant closure deals a further blow to the industrial city, the birthplace of both the giant car company and the united auto workers union, that has lost tens of thousands of auto jobs over the last two decades .
honky tonk maestro whitey morgan has a new live album ready for the holiday season. below you can get a taste of what' s to come by streaming
buick city
.
on monday, june 26, city council voted to approve a development agreement with southfield - based auto supplier lear corporation for a 150, 000 to 155, 000 square foot building at 902 e. hamilton ave. - - the location of the former buick city administration building .
crumbling buildings of buick city, now almost completely shut down. parking lots are desolate, there’s no smoke from the chimneys and no humans – hardly any guards protecting the structures. (bottom )
the rapper said he didn’t want to be a part of a hashtag trend - - his assistance to the city is more than just a pop culture nod toward a struggling city facing its newest test .
bill callen, a spokesman for revitalizing auto communities environmental response trust, declined to comment on the development agreement or racer' s role in brokering a sale of part of the old buick city property .
darlene morris skipped the recent
family day
festival at the buick city factory, not quite seeing the lure of gleaming white tents with children' s games, ice cream and free coffee mugs .
special thanks goes out to dennis for clarifying what happened to perhaps one of buick’s ultimate performance cars .
most of the 390 - acre buick city closed in 1999, creating one of the state’s largest brownfield sites. gm’s powertrain flint north closed in 2010 and ended more than a century of manufacturing at the site .
great site, love anything about
buick
. i worked for gm canada for 34 years third generation
lear corporation said it intends to purchase the property from racer properties, llc and
develop the property to contribute to the economy of the city of flint and promote the city' s economic goals and objectives .
this ghost image shows the buick factory in 1910 at the same location as shown above & amp; below .
“the issue has not been our products, ” said tony disalle, vice president of buick and gmc marketing for gm. “it’s a perception that buick is for older people. we have a lot of upside here. ”
there still will be just under 30, 000 gm employees in flint after buick city closes, and the automaker plans to spend $ 1. 5 billion in the next several years to update and build factories in and around flint .
at its peak, buick city employed over 28, 000. the figure varies depending upon who you ask. in 1999, most of this plant was shut down. there is a small force of 1, 000 still employed in flint, but the v6 engine factory of 700 employees is scheduled to close in august, leaving buick city virtually desolate. in the 1950s, the detroit area had the highest median income, and highest rate of home ownership, of any major us city. but times are very different now. california’s silicon valley now enjoys higher income than the detroit area .
this article from my muscle review magazine (no longer published) dated july 1999 tells a short story about a pretty rare 1970 buick. this article also happens to mention the opening of the (then new) buick museum in flint .
the area was hit hard by thousands of gm layoffs in the 1980s, a period documented by flint native michael moore in his film
roger & me .
but in the same period, gm spent about $ 300 million to modernize buick city .
gm' s roots in the city 57 miles north of detroit date to 1903, when a flint wagon company bought david dunbar buick' s struggling gasoline engine shop. the first buick built in flint came out the next year, little more than a buggy' s frame bolted to a 21 - horsepower engine and a steering wheel, with a love seat stuck on top .
the lacrosse has the same grille and shares a family resemblance with the avenir, buick vice president duncan aldred said in september. the avenir “shattered expectations of what a buick could be, ” aldred said, promising that the lacrosse would do the same .
in 1984 gm brought together a half dozen factories to form the massive complex and dubbed it buick city. this was supposed to be gm' s answer to rival toyota city and a symbol of the us carmaker' s determination to fight foreign competition. since then, however, the company' s share of the car and truck market share has declined from around 40 percent to 30. 7 percent in 1997 .
flint — economic development officials in flint are making a push to revitalize the former manufacturing site that once produced every buick that general motors made .
we are proud to be the first manufacturing company to build (at buick city) ,
hook said .
we believe this site and this community are a good fit for our organization' s plans for growth, and we believe we have a lot to offer ...
it was an amazing sight to see buicks dating from 1915 to brand new ones lined up in parking lots, exhibited for visitors. buick started production in 1904. i didn’t see any earlier models, but i saw the photo of a replica of a 1904 model b buick in a news article .
buick city is a building, but it just contains everything i' ve known for all these years ,
she said wednesday .
the last few days have been - - well, it' s too quiet. everybody is just kind of closed up. it' s very sad .
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gm is ending buick production in flint, where the large model cars have been made since 1904. the 235 - acre buick city facility had only 1, 200 workers left—1, 000 full time employees and 200 temporary workers—a fraction of the 28, 000 auto workers who once produced cars there during the peak production years of the mid - 1980s. many of higher - seniority workers are expected to retire or will be forced to transfer to other plants throughout the country .
sikivu hutchinson: the ubiquitous tents and shambling motorhomes that dot l. a. ’s side streets are simply the most glaring symbols of the city’s spatial apartheid .
in 1997 when gm announced its plans to shut the assembly plant at the heart of the buick city complex, uaw local 599 argued that this was an unwise business decision and pledged that the union would work to increase speedup, impose more forced overtime and carry out whatever measures were needed to boost production and profits .
showcasing the lacrosse in a hip urban setting like l. a. is in keeping with the division’s “that’s a buick? ” ad campaign, which makes a self - deprecating case that its newer cars are too cool for its geriatric reputation. the average buick buyer is 66, according to san diego - based consulting firm strategic vision. by contrast, bmw’s average buyer is 50 and lexus, also known for comfort like buick, has an average owner age of 59 .
flint mayor dayne walling said there have been discussions with the company about what financial incentives are available from the city, but
no requests yet
for assistance .
told in prose poems, buick city is a coming - of - age tale about growing up in the deindustrialized midwest – about trailer park kids fending for themselves while laid - off parents navigate their new minimum wage jobs; about teenagers inventing sex on the loading dock behind the convenience store; about young people yearning for a life beyond making a living and fighting with customers at the 24 hour supermarket. from neighborhood casanovas to part - time hitmen to grandmothers run - ragged, the portraits of life in buick city offer a glimpse into the world beyond factory closings and rustbelt blight and into the life of a place teeming with desperation, joy, and hope .
the local 599 leadership went so far as to spend $ 4 million to place full - page ads in the wall street journal and investor' s business daily, aimed at convincing gm stockholders that they would get a better return on their investment if the buick city plant were kept open, and a different uaw plant was closed down. the ad featured the results of an internal gm quality report, comparing the performance of 19 gm assembly plants, including lake orion, detroit / hamtramck and lansing, michigan. under the headline, “the standings, ” the ad lists buick city in second place, topped only by the joint gm - toyota operation in california .
we saw buicks from models from 1915 onwards. not every year was covered, but it was a massive display. buick had used golf legend tiger woods to advertise its fleet of cars. the leading truck had a huge picture of tiger woods about to strike a ball with his club, along with the picture of a buick .
a positively painful broken aesop from years ago :
the city of new orleans
, about the death of the railroad industry, being used as a car commercial .
british shoe company clarks used
birdhouse in your soul
by the same group as a stealth pun. the ad in question featured giant kids running around a city .
in the u. s. , the biggest battle will be to change perceptions. even though buick makes crossover suvs and nimble sedans like the regal, it has conventional wisdom and pop culture to overcome. in the 1977 movie “annie hall, ” woody allen famously says the spider in the bathroom is “the size of a buick. ”
, distributed by interscope records, under the tutelage of legendary producer dr. dre. he has religiously worn clothing with the words of his city printed on them during appearances .
after 95 years of making buicks in the city where general motors corp. was born, the automaker is shutting the sprawling auto plant and ending 1, 300 jobs. it' s both the end of an era for a place that has defined the city' s identity for nearly a century, and the start of more uncertainty for an already wobbly economy .
are right up your alley. whether you choose to purchase a buick, chevrolet, cadillac or gmc we are confident that your buying experience at our dealership will be a positive one .
this would be the most photographed entrance of the buick factory in flint, michigan. this photo is included in the newest book published about flint by author gordon young. the book is titled…
sarah carson has an imaginative gift for transporting us within the nuances & netherworld of her hometown. i can’t imagine are more dead - eye illumination of the region—told with incredible wit & a rough - minded passion. many might steer you from the town itself, but missing out on buick city would be a decidedly wrong turn. i will gladly enjoy returning to these pages—and often. —
circuit city used' just what i needed' by the cars for one ill - fated advertising campaign near the end of their corporate lifespan. the song is about a one - night stand .
the final phase of the integrated car assembly and metal stamping production at buick motor division & apos; s former headquarters. idled and tore down in 1999. or, alternatively, the entire production site that included axles, springs, motors, etc. (pretty much the entire car). also adopted by flint, michigan as a nickname because buick and general motors were created there .
not long ago we received a letter from dennis manner, a now - retired buick / gm engine engineer who has vast first - hand knowledge of not only buick’s engine development in the sixties and seventies (including his direct involvement with the 455, 455 stage 1 and 455 stage 2 equipment), but also the development of the gsx stage2 prototype and its true demise. according to dennis :
about 100 of the 1, 400 workers employed at buick city when it closed will stay on to strip the plant of equipment. some 200 workers are temporary hires who were let go. most of the rest are either retiring or going on
protected status ,
in which they still get a paycheck, but don' t have a job right away. they will eventually be offered jobs at other factories .
the flint location is in competition with mexico, where overall costs are lower, for the subassembly operation, the memo said. the city of flint offered a tax abatement to reduce property taxes by 50 percent .
it' s been here over 90 years ,
she says .
when you have this giant sitting in the middle of the city, it' s understandable how you' d get attached to it .
i don’t know how the story ever got started about the prototype car ever catching on fire which was not true and i have been trying to correct that statement ever since. in addition to the stage 2 development car i used as a workhorse at buick engineering, we built a prototype gsx car in flint in buick engineering and sent it out to california for exposure and evaluation for the dealers, the racers and the magazine writers. upon its return to michigan long after we had decided to not factory produce the package and we were about to retire the vehicle, one of our buick engineers missed a shift driving it at our gm proving grounds and put a rod through the side of the block. it did not catch fire. we then disassembled the car, scrapped it out but the special hood was donated to the jones / benesick buick drag car they raced in california .
s worked for. sit down strike. black lake. what happened? time to take our city back! i’ll post pictures i have if can figure out how! have a blessed day and keep faith! much love clara
“buick stands for comfort and is known by older generations, ” said alexander edwards, president of strategic vision. “if they want to attract people from more lively brands, they need to talk to a different kind of buyer. ”
my dad worked at buick from 1943 - 1975 and always was so proud. in the 50' s he' d tell me how it was the only self contained plant. from foundry to driving it away, all at one place !
gm is consolidating its large car production because of greater demand for its more profitable light trucks and sports utility vehicles. production of buick lesabres will transferred to more modern large car plants in detroit / hamtramck and lake orion, near pontiac, michigan .
we also stopped to eat at a beautifully constructed but empty restaurant, makuch’s red rooster — “the pinnacle of fine dining. ” established in 1959, the once swank restaurant featured flaming desserts and tableside cooking. it entertained gm executives on their heyday. we were the only two customers at our late lunch. the waitress was pleased to get some business. she was unhappy about the plant closings and the loss of business in town. many houses near buick city were boarded shut, and mostly in dilapidated condition .
this article is from my december 2012 issue of hemmings muscle machines and contains new information concerning this rare buick. i actually took this copy from the hemmings site because i gave my issue to another enthusiast (my dentist) who needed another article for the 409 chevy engine he has .
mercifully without glibness, derision or rancor, the sinewy poems in buick city chronicle the petty crimes taking place outside love motels and flavored with instant cocoa; the heart of the culture found in the break room at the back of a 24 - hour supermarket. like updike’s “a & p” retold by a rust belt girl born in 1984, sarah carson boldly goes where few poets dare—straight into a (mid) western consciousness redolent with pop rocks, black pepper, diet coke and weed. i’m so grateful we have this desperate, hopeful, utterly american work. — arielle greenberg
brian quinn was born on march 14, 1976 in staten island, new york city, new york, usa as brian michael quinn. he is a producer and actor, known for 12 monkeys (2015), vulgar (2000) and metamorphosis: the alien factor (1990) .
ron ferguson, owner of ferguson furniture, says flint can absorb the cuts better today than 20 years ago. he says the city has almost evolved into a bedroom community for the northern suburbs of detroit. and he says there are enough gm retirees with good incomes to keep some business humming .
the hope is that the lacrosse, which is one of two cars built at gm’s fairfax assembly plant in kansas city, kan. , will turn heads. the car’s bold styling is based on the avenir, which in january was named “best concept vehicle” at the north american international auto show in detroit .
speaking of chrysler, for super bowl xlv in 2011, the company aired a 2 - minute commercial for the chrysler 200 with the instrumental riff of eminem' s
lose yourself
in the background. the spot ends with eminem himself taking the stage at detroit' s fox theatre and saying
this is the motor city. and this is what we do .
of course, it must be noted that the spot was more about detroit' s (both the city and the us auto industry) comeback from economic catastrophe than it was about the car itself... which may well have appealed to eminem .
last summer two strikes erupted at gm parts plants in flint, which virtually closed the automaker' s north american operations. while hundreds of thousands of auto workers in flint and elsewhere were seeking to fight gm' s attack on jobs, the uaw agreed to a contract that eliminated 1, 300 of the 9, 200 strikers' jobs, paved the way for further plant closings and layoffs and included a pledge not to call any further strikes until the settlement of 1999 national contract. throughout the 44 - day strike the uaw international leadership made it clear that it was not challenging gm' s decision to close buick city .
i traveled to lapeer in michigan recently to visit an old, dear friend. lapeer happens to be near the motor city of flint. i was given a tour of flint by his wife sue. flint was getting ready to have a “celebration” of gm’s 100th anniversary (if you can call it a celebration) .
prematurely white - haired character star who began as a supporting player of generally vicious demeanor, then metamorphosed into a star of both action and drama projects, lee marvin was born in new york city, the son of courtenay washington (davidge), a fashion writer, and lamont waltman marvin, an ...
this is the same gate as shown below only in 1974. that is body receiving shown in the foreground and mentioned below. that is factory # 44 being built. i entered this gate more than any other in my 30 years with g. m. and it was also my first and last at buick .
sal vulcano was born on november 6, 1976 in staten island, new york city, new york, usa as salvatore edward anthony vulcano. he is a producer and actor, known for 12 monkeys (2015), the comedy roast of jesus christ (2007) and just another romantic wrestling comedy (2006) .
james murray was born on may 1, 1976 in staten island, new york city, new york, usa as james stephen murray. he is a producer and actor, known for 12 monkeys (2015), awakened (2018) and say whaaat? (2017). he was previously married to jenna vulcano .
and starting in 2013, party city used repurposed versions of the song for their 2013 ad campaigns, with lyrics changed to talk about what they had for what holiday or special occasion was coming up, and they even did a generic version to promote regular birthday party supplies. it was first used around saint patrick' s day .
former lead guitarist for hard rock super group kiss, best known for his
space ace
character, on stage stagger, cackling laugh and smoking guitar effects. frehley was born paul daniel frehley on april 27th, 1951 in the bronx, new york city and received his first electric guitar at age 14. a ...
christopher d' olier reeve was born september 25, 1952, in new york city, to journalist barbara johnson (née barbara pitney lamb) and writer / professor f. d. reeve (franklin d' olier reeve). he came from an upper - class family; his paternal grandfather was ceo of prudential financial, and one of his ...
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hemmings muscle machines subscribers (and those who pick it up on the newsstand) may recall from our recent all modified issue the buick pictured above: a contemporary recreation of the 1970 buick gsx stage2 prototype. the six - page feature recalls frank urbinati’s desire to recreate the lost factory gsx, how gransport auto body built it, and how it ended up in the hands of its current owner, bob ortolani, who continues its 9. 51 - second quarter - mile legacy. the story also provides some background as to the one and only original prototype, including its oft - repeated demise – set in motion by the rapid swing away from muscle cars in 1971 – that began with dismantling, followed by its complete destruction in a fire .
we are the premier gm dealership for customers who are shopping for new or used vehicles in toronto and the surrounding areas of the markham, scarborough and the rest of the greater toronto area. we have a large inventory of new cars, trucks, and suv’s from buick, chevrolet, cadillac and gmc as well as used vehicles of all makes and models at great prices .
but wooing california buyers won’t be easy in a state where foreign luxury cars are status symbols, american brands struggle and buick has market share of less than 0. 5 percent. the brand has only a 1. 3 percent market share in the u. s. but 4 percent in china, the world’s largest auto market, where 80 percent of buicks are sold .
joe gatto was born on june 5, 1976 in staten island, new york city, new york, usa as joseph anthony gatto jr. he is a producer and actor, known for superdude & friend (2005), 12 monkeys (2015) and soccer baller (2006). he has been married to bessy gatto since september 2, 2013. they have two ...
george c. scott was an immensely talented actor, a star of screen, stage and television. he was born on october 18, 1927 in wise, virginia, to helena agnes (slemp) and george dewey scott. at the age of eight, his mother died, and his father, an executive at buick, raised him. in 1945, he joined the ...
larry the cable guy was born in pawnee city, nebraska, as daniel lawrence whitney. he is an actor and producer, known for cars (2006), cars 2 (2011) and cars 3 (2017). he is also an original member of the blue collar comedy tour. he has been married to cara whitney since july 3, 2005. they have two ...
“those of us in flint know that our community is worth investing in and we’re excited to see lear building a huge truck seating manufacturing plant right here in the city ,
said senate minority leader jim ananich (d–flint) in a written statement .
having lear in the neighborhood will mean hundreds of new, quality jobs prioritized for flint residents, ensuring that more folks in my town will have the opportunity to get a leg up .
gm employment in the flint area has fallen from 77, 000 workers in manufacturing and office centers in 1978 to 33, 000 today. the number of gm jobs is expected to dwindle further to 22, 000 in the next few years. the official unemployment rate in the city is 9. 7 percent, more than double the state average, and the bulk of better - paying auto jobs have been replaced with low - wage employment in the service sector .
so mom could be back before older siblings had to get up for school! i remember the bump on court daddy would speed up to make my belly jump and i would giggle like a three year old because i was. then seeing weather ball and telling my parents what the three colors ment and what the weather was going to be that day! oh the glorious memories! what have we done to let our elected officials ruin our city take away the way of life our forefather
“flint needed help before the water crisis. there was a breakdown of my city before this. this is level 10 of the problem, ” freeman said. “with the automotive industry leaving, that was the first thing. going to work in the auto industry was like a kid in flint going to the nba. when that went away, the feeling of hopelessness seeped in. people felt lost. they didn’t know what to look forward to. the morale went way down. ”
in 1968, jim morrison vetoed a request from buick, which the other members of the doors approved of, to use the song
light my fire
in a commercial. in a bit of self - parody over the affray, when robbie krieger penned the song
touch me
later that year, he ended it with the four - note sting from an ajax commercial popular at the time, and the final lyrics are ajax' s then - slogan ,
stronger than dirt
.
sue made a driving mistake and drove into the closed off streets of the buick car displays. a gm employee walked up to us. he said that he was part of the last group of 700 employees about to be laid off in august. sue’s car was foreign and she was trapped not able to figure out where to go. from the passenger seat, i said that i owned a saturn, a gm car. that apparently caused the gm employee to relax. he walked over to the end of street and lifted one of the barricades and let us out of the area .
this is form a 1979 promotional laserdisc that i found it is for 1980 model year buick' s. at the beginning of this disc you will hear some audio tones, these where used to program the pr - 7800 laserdisc player, and you will also see single frames of what is on the entire disc as well as still pictures of each model of buick available that year this was the first interactive video experience, the on board cpu in the pr - 7800 allowed you to program the viewing and interact with the disc using the remote control. the pr - 7800 was intorduced 3 years before the ibm pc - xt in 1978 gm contracted with pioneer and mca / discovision to put the pioneer pr - 7800 laserdisc player into its dealerships, the discs where to be used for demonstrations as in this disc or for training purposes. now in the early days of laserdisc manufacture there was a very high failure rate, sometimes as high as 85% during the mastering / pressing process, so that left a lot of sides of discs that where unusable. well these where used to fill the blank side of a disc, the
dead
side was then coated with a special plastic that was clear to the human eye, but it would not reflect the laser beam, thus the side would not play. well the coating can be removed with rubbing alcohol, which is what i did. these reject discs will only play on the older style of laserdisc player that uses a laser tube
it may not be a well known fact, but there was also a so - called stage 2. in 1968, the buyer of a gran sport skylark could check off the stage 2 package, which offered a pure race option consisting of an ultra - high - performance engine and some other performance options that had to be installed by the dealer. few knew that the option even existed. obviously the option was designed for drag racers. the stag 2 package was again available in 1970 with a trunkful of performance goodies. included were mickey thompson headers, an 850 cfm holley carburetor, 12. 5: 1 compression ratio forged pistons, a high - performance cam, and new high - flow heads. there was also a 4. 78 geared rear end. all the equipment was reportedly dealer installed. how many stage 2 cars were modified is not known, but rest assured, the numbers are few. in fact, it has been noted that only three are known to exist, showcasing possibly the most daring buick adventure into high performance .
american cast iron pipe co. plans construction start soon, 50 - 60 employees to open flint plant | urltoken
american cast iron pipe co. plans construction start soon, 50 - 60 employees to open flint plant
flint, mi - - american cast iron pipe co. says it won' t waste any time building a
we could be doing foundation work in january ,
said patrick hook, vice president of operations for american spiralweld pipe, a division of acipc .
we are out for bids right now .
hook and american got a warm welcome at a news conference to announce the development wednesday, nov. 13, at the flint & genesee county chamber of commerce in downtown flint .
company in line to supply materials for the new karegnondi water authority pipeline, will begin producing spiral - welded steel pipe for that project at the new flint plant, using a single shift of workers to start .
but hook said the company envisions supplying other developments with pipe from flint in the future, saying the physical location of the facility
opens up some additional markets for us .
the kwa will be very good for us ,
he said .
as we (find) additional business, we would add additional shifts .
the hourly jobs at american in flint are expected to pay a starting wage of $ 17 to $ 22 an hour, and hook said candidates with a background of working in heavy industry and welding would have an advantage .
there may be a few people in our (other) plants that may want to come back here (but) our plan is to hire people locally .
revitalizing auto communities environmental response trust would comment on the proposed sale price of the property, and hook would not say how much the company plans to invest in its new building and equipment .
walling called wednesday' s announcement important on two fronts: it provides an
immediate, positive economic impact
and optimizes construction on the kwa pipeline .
american' s new plant will produce strictly spiral - welded pipe, the same type that will be used in construction of the kwa pipeline. only one other company plant, located in columbia, s. c. , produces that type of pipe for american .
the pipeline from genesee county to lake huron will also include ductile iron pipe, which american also produces and will supply for the project, but that pipe won' t be manufactured in flint .
as low bidder for the kwa project, american is the likely supplier of more than $ 84 million in materials for the pipeline .
genesee county drain commissioner jeff wright said the company would have received the contract whether it decided to build the flint plant or not .
founded in birmingham, ala. , in 1905, american employs about 3, 000 people nationwide, including 2, 000 at its headquarters plant and offices in birmingham, ala. , and about 1, 000 at subsidiary plants .
tim herman, chief executive officer for the flint & genesee chamber of commerce, said the company' s track record makes it the kind of business that any community would want .
herman called wednesday' s announcement
evidence of a strong workforce and world class transportation infrastructure that make this region a great place to locate a viable business .
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photo showing factory # 31 during demolition. go to the following link to view all of dennis’ great photos .
birdseye view of the oak park factories as viewed from east of the flint river. notice the suspension bridge over the river leading to the factories…this would be removed in 1911. it looks like the river is just receding after a flood .
this is a rather rare booklet from the clippings department in the flint public library. i had to turn over my drivers licence and sit in view of the library attendant to view this. this copy was donated by the author himself george h. maines .
i know it’s hard to believe but i have never posted this photo before. you are looking north up industrial avenue from hamilton avenue in 1910 during a shift change or lunch .
here is a little different view of the same intersection taken from the roof of the w. f. stewart body factory in 1910 showing the oak park subdivision after it has been built. that is the weston - mott factory on the right with the new industrial bank now located just west across industrial avenue. the bank was originally located in the stewart factory .
this view facing northwest is the same gate as shown in the photos above and below. that is body receiving in the background. i like the sign at left: beat old age & amp; gout 30 & amp; out. these workers are the reason i am enjoying retirement today instead of laying in a casket .
division street revisited. division street during 100 years. division street 1947 body receiving 1960
many different versions of this engine and the cars history are still clouded. some say 2 were built by the factory and some say 15 dealer installed’s were built. some also say around 75 sets of the special heads required were made. i like the first story at the beginning that leads off with: the final chapter which i find doubtful .
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while doug daugherty, vice president of global facilities and real estate for lear, told the council a
much grander, formal announcement
is on the way, he could say that the building will be used for manufacturing automobile seats .
this is something lear corp. is extremely excited about ,
he said, noting that while some employees will move from oakland county to the flint location, there
will be opportunities
and union jobs for flint residents .
criteria for employment at the company will also be announced later, daugherty said .
daugherty said the company hopes to begin construction in september and open for operation in the spring of 2018 .
he told the council that manufacturing would be a clean process with no output and that the plant plans to use treated water rather than raw .
the trust was established by the u. s. bankruptcy court to sell off unwanted gm assets .
in december 2014, american spiralweld pipe co. began operation on the site' s northernmost edge, supplying water transmission pipe for the karegnondi water authority pipeline .
sunny, along with a few afternoon clouds. high 86f. winds wsw at 5 to 10 mph. .
partly cloudy. a stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. low 69f. winds light and variable .
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morris has built buicks for 23 years, a job that ended when the flint, mich. , plant closed last tuesday. to her, the festival was like clapping at a funeral .
there are not a lot of jobs around here that pay $ 17 an hour, or $ 20 an hour, like gm does ,
says raymond faris, the owner of faris furniture & jewelry in downtown flint .
over the years, gm has built and torn down dozens of buildings to add new models and take out old equipment. the result is a jumble of towering factories that' s hard to see as a single building without driving around the entire two - square - mile site .
the plain buildings, with few windows and dozens of stubby smokestacks, conceal giant conveyor belts that carry car bodies through four stories .
morris, 42, has built her life around the plant. a flintstone as well, she' s the daughter of a man who spent 44 years building parts for gm. she went to work at the plant when she graduated from high school and wanted money for college .
the next thing i knew, 22 years went by ,
she said .
since 1994, morris has spent much of her free time working on a musical ,
rats! ,
about working on the assembly line and the history of the union. the play takes its name from
shoprats ,
a slang term for assembly workers, and had a five - show run at a flint theater last summer .
they' ve been preaching to us that our job security is to build a good car with high quality, and we' re still closing ,
says don wilcox, 41, who worked in the plant' s paint shop for 11 years .
morris says that if gm offers her a transfer to saginaw or pontiac, she' ll take it. but right now the future is unclear .
that' s one of the worst things - - not knowing, not being able to make a plan ,
she says .
united auto workers union leaders say gm' s $ 1. 5 billion investment in flint factories will create several hundred jobs, not nearly enough to make up for the losses of the past few years. they say gm' s plans for two new factories near lansing make them question the company' s overcapacity claims .
that plant should not be closing ,
says art mcgee, president of uaw local 599 and a third - generation gm autoworker .
they' ve got the best team in the company right here…you don' t split up the team that wins the championship for you .
we would not be ceasing production at this facility if we could sell as many vehicles as we produce in three plants ,
she said .
there' ll be fewer jobs within gm itself, and a lot of those jobs will take more education than picking someone up off the street and saying,' put this part on the car,'
he says .
in flint, it might help diversify the workforce as a whole .
maybe we' re a one - horse town, but it' s like the horse had a few ponies ,
he says .
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the flint & genesee chamber of commerce was awarded a $ 197, 000 federal grant to allow work to be completed at the site that prioritizes development locations, creates marketing materials and identifies and assists prospective tenants .
the grant will also help with conceptualizing building designs and developing construction costs for projects requiring 40, 000 - square - feet of space, the flint journal reported .
“the approach that we’ve taken is to kind of think about the whole site but also recognize that very few projects would need the whole site, ” said janice karcher, vice president of economic development for the chamber. “many of the requests that we’ve received are companies that want to occupy 50 - or 100, 000 - square - feet and those kinds of facilities can locate on five to 10 acres and don’t need 390. ”
the grant also allows officials to identify services at the site that could be vital to potential developers, such as transportation access, size and location of water lines, size and location of sewer lines and where gas and electric services are .
“this level of information allows us to get in front of more prospective companies, developers and be able to say, ‘look, we’ve done our homework to make it easier for you to evaluate the site. ’ that’s the real goal here, ” karcher said. “that’s really helpful in being able to avoid surprises in potential projects but also to help zero in an optimal portions of the site. ”
buick city was a massive automobile manufacturing complex in the northeast of flint , michigan . elements of the 235-acre ( 950,000 m ² ) complex dated from 1904 , where all aspects of buick vehicles were constructed , and it became known as buick city in 1985 . operations ceased completely in 2010 . the site was vacated by gm employees and site responsibilities were transferred to motors liquidation company as of december 6 , 2010 . the final cars built at buick city were the pontiac bonneville and the buick lesabre . manufacturing operations were transferred to orion assembly . the original factory at one time was the largest in the world , consisting of 24 separate buildings contributing to the manufacturing process , until 1928 when the ford river rouge plant was completed and began operations . in the beginning , all components were manufactured in one location , to include wheel bearings , nuts , bolts , and screws , to transmissions , suspension components , wheels and interior components . operations were carried out in this fashion well into the 1940s and beyond . after world war ii , when vehicle production resumed , buick city was the primary location where all components were created , with knock-down kits distributed to assembly plants in major metropolitan us cities , where the vehicles were locally assembled and distributed in their respective regions . the plant originated with buick before the formation of general motors . other elements were built by early manufacturers and suppliers like fisher body . the buick city concept represented a successful attempt by general motors to experiment with just-in-time manufacturing methods in response to japanese manufacturers . the experiment included successes : the 1989 buick lesabre built in buick city was ranked the top car in the j.d. power and associates rankings for that year ; it was the first american built car to appear on the list . in 1999 , the year the plant was closed , buick city won j. d. power 's platinum award for assembly plant quality . as of 2016 , it is the only general motors plant to win the award . the closing of gm 's manufacturing plants in flint , and its subsequent economic toll on the community was chronicled in michael moore 's documentary film , roger & me . the plant 's acreage became an epa cleanup site . in 2013 , american cast iron pipe co. announced plans to construct a new 200,000 square foot manufacturing plant on the former buick city complex . 
buick city was a massive automobile manufacturing complex in the northeast of flint, michigan. elements of the 235-acre (950,000 m ²) complex dated from 1904, where all aspects of buick vehicles were constructed, and it became known as buick city in 1985. operations ceased completely in 2010. the site was vacated by gm employees and site responsibilities were transferred to motors liquidation company as of december 6, 2010. the final cars built at buick city were the pontiac bonneville and the buick lesabre. manufacturing operations were transferred to orion assembly. the original factory at one time was the largest in the world, consisting of 24 separate buildings contributing to the manufacturing process, until 1928 when the ford river rouge plant was completed and began operations. in the beginning, all components were manufactured in one location, to include wheel bearings, nuts, bolts, and screws, to transmissions, suspension components, wheels and interior components. operations were carried out in this fashion well into the 1940s and beyond. after world war ii, when vehicle production resumed, buick city was the primary location where all components were created, with knock-down kits distributed to assembly plants in major metropolitan us cities, where the vehicles were locally assembled and distributed in their respective regions. the plant originated with buick before the formation of general motors. other elements were built by early manufacturers and suppliers like fisher body. the buick city concept represented a successful attempt by general motors to experiment with just-in-time manufacturing methods in response to japanese manufacturers. the experiment included successes: the 1989 buick lesabre built in buick city was ranked the top car in the j.d. power and associates rankings for that year; it was the first american built car to appear on the list. in 1999, the year the plant was closed, buick city won j. d. power's platinum award for assembly plant quality. as of 2016, it is the only general motors plant to win the award. the closing of gm's manufacturing plants in flint, and its subsequent economic toll on the community was chronicled in michael moore's documentary film, roger & me. the plant's acreage became an epa cleanup site. in 2013, american cast iron pipe co. announced plans to construct a new 200,000 square foot manufacturing plant on the former buick city complex.
buick city was a massive automobile manufacturing complex in the northeast of flint, michigan. elements of the 235-acre (950,000 m ²) complex dated from 1904, where all aspects of buick vehicles were constructed, and it became known as buick city in 1985. operations ceased completely in 2010. the site was vacated by gm employees and site responsibilities were transferred to motors liquidation company as of december 6, 2010. the final cars built at buick city were the pontiac bonneville and the buick lesabre. manufacturing operations were transferred to orion assembly. the original factory at one time was the largest in the world, consisting of 24 separate buildings contributing to the manufacturing process, until 1928 when the ford river rouge plant was completed and began operations. in the beginning, all components were manufactured in one location, to include wheel bearings, nuts, bolts, and screws, to transmissions, suspension components, wheels and interior components. operations were carried out in this fashion well into the 1940s and beyond. after world war ii, when vehicle production resumed, buick city was the primary location where all components were created, with knock-down kits distributed to assembly plants in major metropolitan us cities, where the vehicles were locally assembled and distributed in their respective regions. the plant originated with buick before the formation of general motors. other elements were built by early manufacturers and suppliers like fisher body. the buick city concept represented a successful attempt by general motors to experiment with just-in-time manufacturing methods in response to japanese manufacturers. the experiment included successes: the 1989 buick lesabre built in buick city was ranked the top car in the j.d. power and associates rankings for that year; it was the first american built car to appear on the list. in 1999, the year the plant was closed, buick city won j. d. power's platinum award for assembly plant quality. as of 2016, it is the only general motors plant to win the award. the closing of gm's manufacturing plants in flint, and its subsequent economic toll on the community was chronicled in michael moore's documentary film, roger & me. the plant's acreage became an epa cleanup site. in 2013, american cast iron pipe co. announced plans to construct a new 200,000 square foot manufacturing plant on the former buick city complex.