JCDA Announces Sale of Former Eastman Kodak Manufacturing Plant

February 11, 2015

Commercial Liability Partners WV, LLC (CLP) has recently purchased the former Eastman Kodak Company Manufacturing Plant in western Jefferson County.

Commercial Liability Partners WV, LLC (CLP) has recently purchased the former Eastman Kodak Company Manufacturing Plant in western Jefferson County. CLP is a US-based firm that specializes in the acquisition and remediation of brownfield properties like the former Kodak facility. Working with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) voluntary remediation program and the Jefferson County Development Authority (JCDA), CLP is developing a fast-track plan to complete the cleanup of the 270-acre Middleway property and put it back into productive use.

“Many industrial sites have legacy environmental issues associated with them and are often referred to as brownfield properties,” said CLP CEO and President Ron Froh, who has over 20 years of experience in the acquisition and remediation of similar properties. “We look for socially responsible solutions to transform these idle properties into valuable and functional facilities.”

Over the past six decades several companies, including 3M, used the property for manufacturing that served the printing industry. Located minutes from Interstate 81, the plant at one time employed as many as 300 workers in the 325,000-square-foot facility. Since its closure, Kodak initiated environmental remediation activities at the site under a voluntary agreement with the West Virginia DEP. CLP plans to work closely with the local community to develop a reuse plan for the property that will create jobs and provide a tax base for future generations.

“We are very pleased that CLP has acquired this facility,” said John Reisenweber, executive director of the JCDA. “Their redevelopment efforts and environmental mitigation plans will not only allow the property to be adaptively re-used for manufacturing, it will also continue to protect a valuable water resource and public health in the Middleway area of Jefferson County.”

Jefferson County, West Virginia, located in the Eastern Panhandle, enjoys a strategic Mid-Atlantic location, 60 miles from Washington D.C. and 45 minutes from Dulles Airport, with quick and easy access to Interstate 81 and the Eastern business corridor. It offers a business-friendly climate and the nation’s fourth lowest cost of doing business.

The JCDA’s mission is to provide an increased and diverse tax base for Jefferson County. The organization advances economic development, supports existing businesses and stimulates and promotes industrial, commercial and agricultural expansion. For more information visit www.jcda.net or contact us at 304-728-3255, info@jcda.net.