PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- It’s one of the most recognized brands of fireproof storage. Now Sentry Safe is leaving its long-time world headquarters on Linden Avenue in Pittsford and moving to Mexico. It’s raising concerns for leaders locally, all the way up to Donald Trump.
“Sentry Safe just left," Trump said at his Rochester rally in April. "They moved to Mexico, right? No good, no good."
The global economy was also a factor in Britain’s recent vote to exit the European Union.
However, as SentrySafe prepares to leave Pittsford, the town’s supervisor says economic isolationism is not the solution.
“Globalization is here," Pittsford Town Supervisor Bill Smith said. "And that’s not going to change, at least not any time soon. And of course it has its strength and advantages, but it has some significant disadvantages that we’ve seen as well."
Smith says there’s not much at the town or county level that could’ve prevented this. He says it’s up to officials in Albany to make New York State more business-friendly.
“I think what we can do here in the U.S. really state-by-state, is to try and make our policies as conducive to businesses, specially manufacturing businesses, remaining in place as we possibly can," Smith said. "Although many businesses can find appealing the siren song of very low wages in other countries, there are nonetheless many reasons to stay right here in the USA.”
Rochester Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Bob Duffy highlighted the area’s high-skilled labor force in stabilizing the region’s economy.
"The closing of Sentry Safe in Rochester and the loss of manufacturing jobs to Mexico is a sad reflection of the economic situation across our country," Duffy said in a statement. "However, Rochester has shown its resiliency over the years when faced with similar job cuts at other companies.”
As more than 300 laid-off Sentry Safe workers pack up and say goodbye, the chamber has worked with Sentry and parent company Master Lock to help find new jobs for them in the area.
“We hope everyone at SentrySafe who works here locally finds a soft landing," Smith said.