ST. MARYS, Ontario—Green Arc Tire Manufacturing Inc. has been granted the necessary environmental permits to operate its planned passenger tire retreading plant in St. Marys, clearing the way for the start-up to begin preparing its site.
Green Arc Tire was started in late 2013 by Canadian retreading veteran Mike DiCenzo, with the vision of setting up an industrial-scale passenger retread plant in a vacant 400,000-sq.-ft. former truck chassis plant.
The project has been in a holding pattern since, pending proper permitting. The Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change recently issued Green Arc Tire its Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) permit, allowing the company to move forward. The ECA covers a variety of environmental concerns, including air quality, noise, waste generation and disposal, contamination cleanup, etc.
“This is a great day for Green Arc, our community and the entire region,” said Mr. DiCenzo, CEO of Green Arc Tire. “We are delighted that the company has met all requirements and now has the official go ahead to start putting people to work.
“We'll start by hiring the staff needed now,” he added. “The first step is getting the plant renovated and ready for production, and that means bringing in skilled trades including electricians, pipe fitters and people with technical backgrounds.”
Green Arc projects the $37 million (Canadian) plant will annually be capable of retreading up to 3 million passenger, light truck and SUV tires—predominantly winter specification—at the new plant. Production is expected to begin in approximately four months.
The company plans to hire 340 to staff the plant, with a quarter of the positions reserved for former members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Salaries will range from $16 to $26 an hour, with benefits, pensions and profit sharing, Green Arc said.
Mr. DiCenzo brings more than 30 years' experience in the used tire, casings and recycling industries to the project.
Financial backing comes from Phoenix Capital Partners, a Toronto venture capital firm, and Bancorp Financial Services Inc., a Vancouver, Canada, mortgage fund management firm.