The Hempstead County Economic Development Corporation (HCEDC) met with representatives at Funder America this morning to move forward on a rail spur rehab project of which the two organizations will be sharing cost. The project is halfway finished and the check in the amount of $8293.50 given to Funder by HCEDC will contribute to finishing the project.

Carl Nelson, Technical Director at Funder, said the completion of this project will allow more opportunities for shipping. "The rail spur gives us another opportunity to bring wood in by different means," Nelson said. "The cost of freight has gone up and shipping by rail is going to save us money. We're having to bring board in from further and further away and this will be more cost efficient."

Lauren Tucker, Plant Manager at Funder, agreed and furthered the statement by saying, "Shipping costs are very expensive, having access to rail also makes the costs more competitive." Both Nelson and Tucker agreed that having EDC's assistance has been a great benefit for Funder.

HCEDC Director Steve Harris said the organization was pleased to be able to work with Funder on this project. "We want to do anything we can to help our local businesses be able to expand any of their operations, especially logistics. The rail access we have in our area is a great asset to these companies." HCEDC's latest press release also shared info about other new ventures possibly coming to the area and said updates will be coming soon.