Reed visits Yates County business

PENN YAN--U.S. Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning) visited Coach and Equipment in the Horizon Business Park Monday, Dec. 21. Reed visited the Penn Yan manufacturing facility to tour the plant and meet with its employees, while addressing the federal transportation funding slated to be cut that his office worked to help restore.
Reed met with CEO Jim McMullen, CFO Karen Long, Manufacturing President Rick McMullen and President of Sales Scott Reston, discussing some general tax policies as well as funding for public transportation. Reed said an earlier version of the $305 billion, five-year highway funding proposal originally removed the funding mechanism which would have meant cuts to public local transportation systems. This in turn could have had a negative impact on bus manufacturers like Coach and Equipment, which Reed said produced some 1,000 buses in 2015.
Reed emphasized people in area communities depend on public transportation systems. These people include the elderly, students and families who rely on busses to get to work, school or around town. He said it was important to make sure the funding was protected so these systems can continue to operate.
Following the meeting, the group toured the Coach and Equipment facility and met with several of its employees. The 85,000 square foot manufacturing plant specifically builds and produces small and mid-sized buses. Reed spoke about how important manufacturing sites like Coach and Equipment are to providing jobs in local communities. He also emphasized how important it is to find ways to work together to enhance these local industries in order to create more jobs.