Wind turbine maker scouts for site

SCRANTON – A wind turbine development company with ties to Northeastern Pennsylvania hopes to build a manufacturing facility in the region by next year, company officials said Tuesday.

Executives from WindTamer Corp., based in Rochester, N.Y., toured facilities in Jessup, Lackawanna County, on Tuesday and plan to visit at least two locations in Wilkes-Barre in the coming weeks.

The hope, according to President and CEO Bill Schmitz, is to bring a full facility to Pennsylvania by Jan. 1, if not sooner. Schmitz said nearly 400 jobs could be created over the next three years if their projections are accurate.

“As we continue to evolve, we’d like to bring more of the key processes in house. Our thought is that we’d build those key components here,” Schmitz said.

The company has put nearly 50 different turbines in various locations across the Rochester area and sees small wind turbines, those that produce 100 kilowatts of power or less, as a viable niche for commercial, residential and agricultural growth.

“We’re going for the individual, small business owner,” Schmitz said. “This part of Pennsylvania, with the wind coming over the mountains, is perfect.”

According to its annual report, the company that went public in November began installation of its first commercial units earlier this year. It has been developing and researching its products since its founding in 2002.

One of WindTamer’s original distributors, BCM Green Power Solutions, Inc., is located at 67 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre.

BCM chief executive Curtis Mattingly said he’s excited to be Aat the forefront of the technology.

“This is the first product that I’ve seen that makes sense as an alternative energy solution,” Mattingly said. “It really addresses the return for investment that most consumers want.”

BCM recently installed a wind turbine near the Mellow Athletic and Wellness Center on the campus of Marywood University.

Juneann Greco, communications director at Marywood, said the turbine will provide power for the school’s new aquatic center, which is set to open in early 2011.

Another turbine has been sold to the Johnny Rockets restaurant at 5 Radcliffe Drive, Moosic, according to Mattingly and WindTamer consultant Michael Hughes, a Clarks Summit resident.