Johns Manville to invest $18 million in Richmond plant, EDC official says

Valerie Shaffer, president of the Economic Development Corp. of Wayne County, reported that Johns Manville has decided to invest $18 million to refurbish the furnace system in its Richmond plant, pending approval of a Tax Increment Financing bond from the commission.

Shaffer said that since the beginning of the year, she has been working with Johns Manville and Tony Foster, director of the city's department of metropolitan development, to ensure the company — which had been considering which of several plants to invest in — stay in Richmond.

The Richmond plant has 84 employees working at an average wage of $27 per hour. The reinvestment will mean eight to 10 additional jobs.

But the joyous atmosphere at the meeting was cut short with the next order of business: the financial report from the city, requested by the commission at last month's meeting.