The International Project

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

THE CHATHAM VOICE

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Remember the past...imagine the future

Richmond

Street

Image courtesy Chatham-Kent Museum – 1990.77.5948

An aerial view of what was then known as International Harvester on Richmond Street in Chatham in 1968. The property, vacant for eight years, is now in the hands of three local businessmen, Rob Myers, Don Tetrault, and Mike Vagi.

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THE CHATHAM VOICE

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A locally produced International Harvester truck sits on display outside the Richmond Street plant in 1963.

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

Image courtesy Chatham-Kent Museum – 1990.77.5940

The history of Navistar at the Richmond Street property Special to The Chatham Voice

Let’s look back on the rich history of the International property on Richmond Street in Chatham.

In its prime in the 1990s, the Navistar truck plant in Chatham employed about 2,200

people.

When it closed in 2009, there were still more than 470 workers.

It was idled in 2011 and demolished in 2013.

But how did we get to those key moments?

International Harvester first

Image courtesy Navistar, with permission of The Wisconsin Historical Society

An International heavy truck is set to come off the line in Chatham in 1980.

came to Chatham in 1910, and bought the Chatham Wagon Works in 1910. The first motor truck came off its assembly lines in 1922.

There were 217 trucks built there that year.

In 1948, International Harvester opened its new facility on Richmond Street, a project that began two-and-a-half years earlier.

“There was no disputing the fact that Canada had grown in stature – with immensely expanded industries and a new sense of responsibility, as one of the leading trading nations of the world. International Harvester of Canada is proud today to have demonstrated confidence in Canada’s future with the opening of our new Chatham Works,” then International Harvester President C.W. Lockard said at the opening of the new facility. “Yet, the best buildings and the finest tools that money can buy are useless without the energy, skill, and

good teamwork of the Harvester family of employees.

The production of top-quality products depends upon good materials, good methods, and good men. I’m happy to be able to say that we have all of these.”

Until the late 1960s, Chatham Works produced a line of light-duty trucks as well as Scout, Travelall, Loadstar and Fleetstar series with approximately 1,200 employees.

The product then changed from medium duty to heavy duty.

In 1969, the 300,000th truck rolled off the lines at Chatham Works. Employees, their families and friends attended an open house on March 19 of that year to celebrate.

The first truck off the line back in 1922 was sold to the City of Chatham. It was a chassis to be used for a fire truck. And the 300,000th unit was a model 1700 Loadstar and was sold to Hume’s Transport of Toronto.

In 1983, Chatham started production of the premium heavy-duty models.

The corporation as a whole survived an onslaught of severe financial problems by turning to its core strength of truck and engine operations that left the Chatham Plant as the only Canadian production operation.

The problems began as International Harvester suffered through a lengthy strike south of the border in late 1979 and came out of it facing a global recession. For several years, it struggled financially, and had to sell off various divisions and close plants to remain solvent.

In early 1986, the company rebranded.

Calling it a “new name for a time-tested company,” Don Lennox, then-chairman and chief executive officer, on Jan. 7, 1986 announced Navistar International Corporation as the new corporate name of International Harvester Company.

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THE CHATHAM VOICE

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

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Navistar history continued

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“The new name reflects what we are today and what we are becoming for tomorrow,” Lennox told employees. “Navistar has an entirely new focus on the transportation needs of North America. Today, we have a future.”

The name was created specifically to identify the reconstituted International Harvester. It is the product of a professional name development effort that was initiated after the company sold the name International Harvester (and the IH logo), along with the agricultural equipment business.

The name is not a real word, but a created one. Its origins begin with the core definition of “navigate,” and “star,” with multiple meanings from a “lu-

minous body” to “outstanding performer.”

The outstanding performer shone bright well into the 1990s, rebounding from the hard times of the early 1980s.

Employee numbers swelled to more than 2,200 by the late ’90s.

But in 2002, another strike hit the plant. The strike began at the beginning of June that year after the company and the Canadian Auto Workers Union, which represented 645 employees at the plant at the time, could not agree on $14 million in cost-cutting moves, including wage concessions.

A little more than two weeks into the strike, the company opted to bring in temporary workers to resume production at the facility. Tensions ramped up on the picket line over this

The R Line cab spray booth in the “new” plant in 1948.

tactic.

Less than two weeks later, on June 24, tragedy occurred when a security guard driving a van clipped three protesters, injuring one severely, while trying to get through the picket line.

The six-week strike ended in mid-July, with both sides agreeing on a two-year agreement.

Two years later, Navistar had

planned to close the plant, but $60 million in government grants, and concessions from the CAW helped keep the plant running until 2009.

The company stressed the plant closed due to the inability to come to an agreement with the CAW on a new contract. CAW officials said they couldn’t get the company to come to the bargaining table.

So, the plant was idled in 2009

Contributed image

and the remaining workforce of about 470 was laid off.

Around the same time, Daimler AG announced it was shuttering its truck plant in St. Thomas, as the demand for heavy trucks was in decline.

Navistar announced two years later it would permanently close the facility.

And in 2013, demolition crews reduced the facility to rubble. It has sat vacant for eight years.

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THE CHATHAM VOICE

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

They have a dream Meet the new owners

Tetrault said. “The mayor wants something to happen on If at first you don’t succeed, this property. Chatham-Kent the saying is to try, try again. administration was great to Especially when there are deal with, from the mayor to jobs for the citizens of Chatop administrators to economic tham-Kent involved. development, and everybody’s That’s the case with the men been very helpful to work who purchased the former with.”

Navistar properVagi also comty on Richmond mented on how “We want this to be Street in Chaattractive for all of Cha- all the municipal tham. officials have the tham-Kent.”

Don Tetrault, support for the - Rob Myers Mike Vagi and partners on this Rob Myers joined project. forces to acquire the land, “It’s a great team at city hall, which had been vacant since and the stars have aligned,” he 2013. But it wasn’t a straight said. road to get to the deal.

So, armed with more than 80 Tetrault, who runs Tatro acres of prime, serviced indusGroup, said he and Vagi initrial land, the partners have a tially partnered up in an effort dream – bring jobs and develto purchase the property back opment to Chatham-Kent, and in 2013. help make our “Mike and I “It’s the perfect site for home a much were trying to better place to industrial redevelopbuy the land, and live and work for ment and commercial at one point we many years to basically thought development in front.” come.

- Don Tetrault we’d bought the Myers said this plant, but the is a property deal fell apart. We were buying rebirth not just for Chatham, it with some of the buildings but for everyone in the municup,” he said. ipality.

But it did not happen.

“People from Ridgetown, From there, Vagi and Tetrault Wallaceburg, Tilbury, Blenworked to purchase the paint heim – we want them to all line in the old Campbell’s have jobs here,” he said of the building on site. property. “We want this to “Instead of taking the paint be attractive for all of Chaline out of the tham-Kent. It facility, we were could create “It’s a great team at again trying to hundreds of jobs buy the property city hall, and the stars for people from have aligned.” and building off all across ChaNavistar. At that - Mike Vagi tham-Kent.” time, we got a lot The site will of resistance at city hall and require various degrees of were unable to complete the remediation and some of that deal,” Tetrault said. is already underway.

As the two were negotiating “We’re cleaning this whole to lease the land, Myers, of RM property up. It has been an Sotheby’s, stepped in and had eyesore for many years,” Myinterest in helping to develop ers said. this old site. Ultimately, the Part of the site contains an old trio developed a partnership city dump. The partners said and actively pursued the entire it is capped already and they property. are considering putting down Working with city hall with asphalt to use the land possia new regime, they found the bly as temporary storage or a process progressed in a posiparking lot. tive way.

Some of the land could be “Rob got involved and ready for development by late everything finally came to a summer. Myers and Tetrault deal over the past two years,” said a good portion of it can be Special to The Chatham Voice

Sarah Schofield/The Chatham Voice

Meet the new owners of the Navistar property in Chatham, from left, Mike Vagi, Don Tetrault and Rob Myers. The three have big plans to bring jobs back to the site that will benefit all of Chatham-Kent.

prepared by the fall.

All of this is being done with an eye on making life better in Chatham-Kent.

“We want to create jobs and attract companies into Chatham-Kent again,” Myers said.

And the location is the perfect place to make that happen.

“This property has all the natural gas it needs, all the hydro, sanitary and storm sewers. It’s the perfect site for industrial redevelopment and commercial development in front,” Tetrault said.

Tetrault said development won’t simply take place on a first come, first serve basis, however.

“We’re being very careful in what we want to put in there.

We want to better the city and area,” he explained.

The partners envision several large-scale industrial developments on the property, as well as commercial development

along Keil Drive and a portion of Richmond Street.

“It’s going to be a clean, inviting look coming into the city,” Tetrault said.

Companies are already kicking the tires. They started basically as soon as the deal closed.

Tetrault and Vagi said the partners have answered several requests for proposals already. Deals could involve several hundred thousand square feet in building space.

Chatham-Kent is a housing hotspot right now, Myers said, so why not add industrial development on a prime parcel of real estate?

“Everything’s going crazy around here. The city’s growing like wild. You’re going to need jobs,” he said. “This can be a big opportunity. There is no doubt about it.”

Work on the site has been underway since the deal closed.

“We’ve only owned the

property for a few weeks, but we’ve already started. We’re moving fast forward,” Tetrault said.

Vagi said the future looks bright on a once-dismal property.

“This will be something really amazing for Chatham-Kent, for sure,” he said. “We’re all hometown Chathamites and it’s such a joy to be part of such an exciting development.

Going into the future, we believe it’s a real opportunity for Chatham-Kent and we are very excited about being involved in such an important project!”

Myers added, “Since I’ve been staying around our community for so long because of COVID it’s been great to have gotten involved in such a worthwhile project with such great partners and all of the fine folks at city hall. It is great being able to witness such enthusiasm for all of Chatham-Kent.”