(Left to right Matt Geissler, Sarah Geissler and Lee Schuknecht)
Lee Schuknecht and his sister Sarah and her husband Matt Geissler grew up together on the same road in Elba. They attended Elba High School together and went to GCC together. Today, the three entrepreneurs under the age of 30 took a giant leap together and broke ground at the site of their new specialty fabrication facility on Saile drive near Bank street road.
L&M Specialty Fabrication’s facility will be 23,000 square feet and located on 30 acres with room for expansion if needed. There will also be a small retail store for farming equipment. The company’s new headquarters has a capital investment of $2.2 million.
The company is currently renting space on Rt. 98 in Albion and currently employs seven people and will be hiring two more people to start. L&M does custom fabrication, design, manufacturing and repairs primarily for agricultural specialty equipment such as packer rolls, mitering band saws, plate rolls, lathes and other custom work.
“We try and engineer a solution for the customer’s problem and build a solution,” says Lee.
L&M received a sales tax exemption of $84,000 and a property tax abatement of $158,656.
“This is a great agricultural area, the location is close to the thruway, Orleans and Wyoming counties and there is access to dealers and other agricultural companies,” says Lee.
Lee and Sarah’s parents, Robin and Dale Schuknecht, will also be there for guidance and support in the trio’s venture.
(Left to right-Chris Suozzi/VP of Business Development, Assemblyman Steve Hawley, Lee Schuknecht, Matt Geissler, Sarah Geissler, Robin Schuknecht, Dale Schuknecht and Tom Turnbull/ Pres.Chamber of Commerce)
According to GCEDC, it is anticipated that for every $1 of public support, there will be a return of $35 back into the local economy.
“We are very excited to welcome these young entrepreneurs who have chosen Batavia to grow and expand their business while fulfilling an important need for the agricultural sector in Genesee County and the surrounding region,” says Paul Battaglia, GCEDC Board Chairman.