The industrial park project for the Municipality of Hemmingford was officially launched on November 20. The 600,000 square foot property, located a few feet from the Canadian – American border, is ready to receive businesses.
The property is located behind Aérospatiale Hemmingford on the rue du Parc industriel. The lot has water and sewage service, not to mention internet access through a fiber optic network. Studies have also shown that the ground has a very good load bearing capacity.
“We’re not looking for any specific kind of business,” underlined Paul Viau, the Mayor of Hemmingford. “They will, however, have to respect the environment. We will do some soliciting. There are already two businesses that have shown interest.”
Study
Groupe CAI Global produced a report for the Municipality of Hemmingford in order to determine the advantages of the location. The goal was to develop strategies for attracting businesses.
In particular, the document revealed that 17% of the population of Hemmingford had a university degree. By comparison, this level of education for all of the Jardins-de-Napierville MRC is about 8%.
A third of jobs (34%) available in Hemmingford are in value added manufacturing. The municipality is located 30 minutes from a population base of 1.5 million people. Hemmingford also has its own border crossing which gives access to 110 million people in Eastern North America.
Testimonials
During the launch of the industrial park project, Jacques Daoust, Minister of Economy, Innovation and Exports praised the municipality for taking action.
The politician, who is also a citizen of Hemmingford, guaranteed his support. “As Minister of Economy, I will help you make this grow. There is money available for good projects,” he said.
Two business owners from Hemmingford extolled the merits of the region and its citizens at the launch.
“Hemmingford has been home since 1985. We have been able to grow thanks to the quality and loyalty of people in the region,” maintained Diane Turner, President of Aérospatiale Hemmingford. Without them, we would never have been awarded a gold medal from United Technologies Corporation.” She also underlined the advantage of being able to rely on a bilingual, motivated work force.
“We relocated our business during the 1980s. We are close to Route 15. Transportation companies come and make deliveries in the region all the time. I have even negotiated free deliveries because of the easy access,” emphasized Virginia Hess, co-owner of Lasalle Instrument Parts.
Translated by Cathleen Johnston
