Bill Cloonan: Fighting to revitalize adopted hometown
FORD CITY -- Bill Cloonan appears to be more the average working man than he does a builder of industrial parks.
Cloonan, however, can be both.
He's a hard-working, highly-driven, often impatient, "I don't fail," successful business developer who plans to build an industrial park in Ford City. Since putting himself through school, the self-made Cloonan has built companies from zero to 10 million dollars.
It's his blue-collar persona though, shaped growing up in the working class river town of Avalon as the son of a machinist who never made more than $14,000 a year, that comes through most of the time.
Cloonan, a resident of Manor Township for the past 18 years, wants to bring that kind of work ethic and level of success to his adopted hometown of Ford City.
Presently Cloonan is waiting for borough officials in Ford City to accept his offer of $5 million to buy the vacant former PPG property so his nonprofit development corporation Phoenix F.C.D. Inc. can build facilities related to the inflation-proof defense, robotics and medical industries.
The industrial park he's so anxious to start building will include a wellness center and related facilities, several buildings for manufacturing, a marina and a boat house, he said.
Cloonan and Ford City Borough Council are in the process of negotiating a sales agreement on the property. In the meantime he continues to line up financing and deal with prospective companies to occupy it.
That will mean 1,000 good-paying jobs within three years, Cloonan said of his vision for the park.
"I'm telling the companies I'm dealing with that if they come to my park they have to hire local people at good wages, $15 per hour or more, and they have to have apprentice programs for those workers," said Cloonan. "They have to create jobs here, not bring them here."
There won't be any five-man engineering teams taking up space and moving on once a project is designed either, he said.
"We're going to make something here, make the component and put it together right here," said Cloonan. "If not, you're not the company we want.
"I come from a working class family. I know workers want to live close to where the jobs are. They can work in Ford City, make a good wage and live there and be able to afford to buy their homes there."
Cloonan started on his road to success working at a hospital after graduating from Avalon High School in 1966. He later joined the Marines and served as a hospital corpsman in Vietnam with Bravo Company, 1st battalion, 5th regiment, 1st division.
He's proudest of his Marine duty where he said he learned there is nothing you can't do and that you never give up.
His later business accomplishments included a regional start-up company Pulmonary Health Services which is still in existence. Other companies of his are Penn Oxygen Services in operation for the past 25 years and a development company, CBJ Development.
In 1996 he sold his interest in his businesses and started working for Howard Hanna Real Estate selling commercial real estate for about four years. He did some real estate development on the side building homes in Slippery Rock.
When not working, Cloonan likes to donate his time to local youth sports programs.
Failure is something Cloonan says he refuses to accept.
"There is no element of failure, none, I've proven that," he said. "Ford City is near and dear to my heart. I will not let them down.
"I want to see my kids working here. I'm tired of hearing about kids having to move somewhere else because they can't get a job in Armstrong County. I don't want to see happen to Ford City what's happened to other towns in the rust belt."
Cloonan has put together a team for the project. He's brought on board Randy Cataldi, a former South Buffalo Township supervisor who was involved in the planning and development of the county's Northpointe Industrial Park, as vice president of operations. Debra Chambers of Howard Hanna Commercial Real Estate Services will serve as marketing agent and property manager for the park.
"People who know me know I don't try to do anything I'm not qualified to do," said Cloonan. "If there's an accounting question I have an accountant, if there's a legal question I have an attorney, if there's an engineering question I have engineers."
The time to build is now, according to Cloonan. Once buildings are constructed the park will fill, he said.
"We're at a turning point in Ford City," said Cloonan. "I have a plan, I have good people behind me and I'm ready to charge in. I'm not going to turn back. I will be successful."
