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Windsor’s Konica Minolta to relocate to New Jersey

WINDSOR – Konica-Minolta is looking to consolidate operations and move its facility in Windsor into its headquarters in Ramsey, NJ. More than 500 jobs may...

WINDSOR - Konica-Minolta is looking to consolidate operations and move its facility in Windsor into its headquarters in Ramsey, NJ.

More than 500 jobs may be affected by the move.

The company issued the following statement:

Yesterday, we announced the beginning of our plans to transition our Windsor, CT facility. In the next 6-18 months, we plan to integrate employees into various existing Konica Minolta locations, including maintaining a branch location in Connecticut.

Employees are being retained and have the option to relocate. We will issue a formal, public announcement in the next couple weeks.

In a letter sent to Konica-Minolta employees dated November 15, the company said:

"Our intent is to integrate the Windsor, CT facility into our Ramsey location in the next 6- 18 months," according to the letter. We have entered into discussions with the State of New Jersey to expand our facilities at the Ramsey, NJ headquarters."

FOX61's Jeevan Vittal obtained documents from the state of New Jersey detailing economic incentives and benefits for the company upon its move.

Sources say the company had also considered moving the Windsor facility to the state of New York in return for economic incentives.

The incentives package for Konica Minolta is worth tens of millions of dollars per year in exchange for the company making capital investments in the state such as building facilities and creating jobs.

Executive Director of the Windsor Chamber of Commerce Jane Garibay said Konica-Minolta has been more than just an economic driver for Windsor but a great community partner.

"Konica Minoltas more like a family to us, we know the employees, Marshall Fox the president of the Windsor Konica Minolta, he’s involved," Garibay said. "There’s a true connection between the corporate company - which is unusual - and the Windsor community."

According to Garibay, the company largely supports non-profits in the town. She estimates Konica-Minolta has done between 50 to 100-thousand-dollars in printing for nonprofits in the Windsor community for free.

She said the Windsor location has a training center which also drives in people to stay at local hotels and eat at Windsor restaurants.

"It's just a shock to lose them," she said. "I guess I gotta look at it that we were lucky to have them for as long as we did and what they contributed to our community."

When FOX61 asked Governor Malloy about the loss of jobs he said, "It's sales, I don't know, we're looking into it."

"I hope they wouldn't move out we want our companies here and I hope that if somebody is talking to them in New Jersey that they would talk to somebody here in Connecticut," Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman said.

The Department of Economic and Community Development released the following statement:

The department fights aggressively to attract and retain businesses and jobs, but for confidentiality reasons we do not comment on specific discussions or interactions with individual companies.

FOX61 stopped by several local businesses who were saddened to hear the news.

Zocco's owner Robert Niemann said it could impact the flow of business but he remains optimistic about the future.

"GE is down the street, Eversource is down the street, the Hartford's got thousands of people down the street tons of local people that come out at night," he said. "Windsor still has a ton to offer."

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