John R. Lyman Company to Buy and Upgrade Chicopee Facility with $2.2 Million MassDevelopment Bond

April 8, 2010

Contacts:
Kelsey Abbruzzese, MassDevelopment, 617-330-2086
April Y. Cloutier, John R. Lyman Company, 413-206-0102

MassDevelopment has issued a $2.2 million tax-exempt industrial development bond on behalf of Big Blue, LLC/John R. Lyman Company, a manufacturer of specialized wiping materials for cleanroom and industrial applications. The company has purchased and is in the process of renovating an 80,000-square-foot building in Chicopee's Westover Industrial Park, allowing it to upgrade its manufacturing facilities and consolidate its operations in one location.

“John R. Lyman has been a long-time member of the Pioneer Valley's manufacturing community, and we're pleased this financing can help the company grow in Chicopee,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Robert L. Culver. “This project is just one more piece of the exciting puzzle that is coming together with commercial and industrial development in the City.”

Founded in 1906 in Springfield, John R. Lyman Company moved to Chicopee in 1937 to fill the need for industrial wiping cloths. The company formed a division in 1970 called Lymtech Scientific to manufacture/convert rolls of material into wiping cloths for cleanrooms. Applications for these absorbent lint free wipes include medical device manufacturing, pharmaceutical compounding, electronics/wafer fabrication, and aerospace, just to name a few.

“As the third-generation owner of The John R Lyman Company, I am delighted to continue our commitment to Chicopee and to our local workforce,” said William S. Wright, President. “We have been manufacturing in this area for 104 years and hope to continue for many generations to come.”

MassDevelopment, the state's finance and development authority, works with businesses, financial institutions, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. During FY2009, MassDevelopment financed or managed 229 projects statewide representing the investment of nearly $1.2 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are supporting the creation of 1,488 new housing units and 8,232 jobs: 3,362 permanent and 4,870 construction-related.