- 14 -
Although B&L considered further expanding its sunglass assembly
facility in Rochester and opening sunglass assembly facilities in
other places, it determined that Ireland was the best site for
the establishment of a new sunglass assembly facility.
The primary reason for the selection of Ireland as a site
for a sunglass assembly facility was the availability of grants
from the Industrial Development Authority of Ireland (IDA) and
other incentives provided by the Government of Ireland. The IDA,
established pursuant to the Industrial Development Act of 1969,
was responsible for promoting industrial development in Ireland.
Its principal objective was to encourage Irish and foreign
industrialists to establish operations in Ireland. Although the
IDA helped companies organized in Ireland that did not export
products from Ireland, certain service-industry companies, and
small businesses, it favored those businesses setting up manu-
facturing operations that planned to export products from
Ireland. The IDA offered a wide range of economic and financial
incentives to firms that established operations in Ireland,
including (1) capital grants in amounts up to 45 percent of the
total cost of plant and equipment and (2) training grants in
amounts up to 100 percent of the expenditures incurred to train
employees.
On or about June 23, 1982, B&L submitted to the IDA a draft
proposal (IDA draft proposal) for the establishment of a sunglass
Page: Previous 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 NextLast modified: May 25, 2011