Investment in Fenton Group could revive glass plant production

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. - March 20, 2013 - PRLog -- The West Virginia Jobs Investment Trust, the state's venture capital firm, has invested $100,000 in the Fenton Group, in hopes of reviving production at the historic 107-year-old Fenton Art Glass plant in Williamstown.

The Fenton Group is a subsidiary of U.S. Glass Inc., which bought out the Fenton Art Glass Company last fall.

Owned by the Fenton family for generations, the company struggled with rising costs and declining sales in recent years, until finally shutting down its main furnace in 2011. While that stopped production of its classic lines of art glass, the company's gift shop has remained in operation.

The Fenton Group is hoping to resume production at the plant later this year.

"The Fenton Group looks to re-introduce the legacy of the Fenton Art Glass Company, appealing to the growing number of metropolitan consumers while maintaining Fenton Art Glass historical glassmaking traditions and its American-made brand," U.S. Glass chief executive Gene Bem said.

The $100,000 in state financing is being made through the West Virginia Capital Access Program. It is designed to provide for operating capital, marketing and advertising support.

"The investment meets our social mission of creating new jobs in West Virginia," said Andrew Zulauf, executive director of Jobs Investment Trust. "We believe the new business model and management team lead by Mr. Bem will revitalize the local area and compete nationally and globally."
"Fenton Art Glass has been a fixture in Wood County since 1905," Commerce Secretary Keith Burdette said. "In addition to the direct jobs that supported the employees and their families, the company had been a tourist destination, attracting visitors to the community and to the state."