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On Thursday, May 18, Buena Vista’s Modine plant celebrated its 60th anniversary, gathering workers to reflect on the challenges the company has faced and its plans for the future.
“I’ve never seen a team that’s worked so hard, to overcome some of the challenges we’ve had and to keep this business growing,” said John Schlemmer, vice president and general manager of Modine’s heating arm, during the opening remarks and plant meeting at the start of the day.
“You have to step back for a minute and think about how big of a deal that is — 60 years, one company in business in the same place, for 60 straight years.”
The company takes its name from Arthur Modine, who founded it in 1916, selling to automobile manufacturers.
Today, it is an international company with its headquarters in Racine, Wis., producing thermal management and air quality control systems and employing 11,000 people, 315 of who work in Buena Vista.
Modine opened the plant in Buena Vista in 1963, its first plant on the East Coast and sixth overall.
In the years since, the plant has grown in spite of challenges — it has been flooded multiple times, with the most recent flood leading to the establishment of a storage facility in Rockbridge County, which completed its evolution into an active manufacturing plant late last year.
However, the Buena Vista location remains a staple for both the company and the local economy, as City Manager Jason Tyree acknowledged, also during the opening remarks.
“I grew up just right over the mountain in Amherst County and I remember coming through Buena Vista as a kid, and asking my grandfather, what is that [building]?
“Of course, as I’ve grown up I’ve found out that Modine does a lot more than just make heaters; it’s been a staple in Buena Vista for many years and I’m grateful and honored to be before you today to help celebrate the 60th anniversary of Modine being in Buena Vista.”
Tyree presented a resolution from City Council recognizing Modine’s anniversary and its importance to the town.
“Since its founding in 1963, Modine has been a cornerstone of our local economy, providing good paying jobs and supporting countless families,” he said. “I’m proud to say that Modine is a vital part of our town’s history, our present, and our future.”
Darrell Coffey, who has been a Modine employee since 1978, also spoke, reflecting the changes he has seen during his tenure.
“I started here fresh out of high school. Since then there’s been a lot of changes, but I can tell you, every change that we’ve made, it’s been for the better,” he said.
He also spoke of the importance of the company and those he met there in his personal life.
“We think we’re coming to work, and we’re doing a job, but at the end of the day, we’re writing our life story,” said Coffey. “When I had issues, the people that I heard from were people that I hadn’t seen in 10 years. They were people that had worked here, shoulder to shoulder with me; that’s where we made the connection.”
It is these people, Coffey said, that are responsible for the success and continuation of Modine in Buena Vista. “True this building has been here 60 years. But what kept this building here is us.
“We made the commitment, we made the sacrifices to clean up after the floods, to clean up after every challenge we had. At the end of the day, providing our upper management is on board, we can do anything.”
Schlemmer also has high hopes for the future. “One out of two unit heaters in the U.S. come right out of this facility, made by you. Almost 50 percent market share,” he told the assembled workers “It’s hard work, it’s what we have to do every day to keep that number one position in the market, said Schlemmer. “We keep doing that, there’s no reason we can’t keep growing this business. It’ll be great to have a 70, and 80, and who knows, maybe a hundred-year anniversary. There’s no reason that can’t happen.”
Following the opening remarks in the morning, the day’s activities continued with lunch, music, cornhole and photo booths for the employees.
