LORDSTOWN, Ohio — There’s a glimmer of hope for the downtrodden town of Lordstown and its General Motors plant that once employed thousands of workers.
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According to GM representative Dan Flores, the company has “received inquiries from interested parties related to the Lordstown Complex and the Chevrolet Cruze.”
Flores didn’t say what specific parties have taken interest in the facility, just that GM “would consider any that are truly viable business opportunities.”
Several months ago, Elon Musk appeared to be mulling over the idea of acquiring the complex for Tesla.
The plant ceased production earlier this month when the last Cruze rolled off the line.
PHOTOS: Lordstown's last Chevrolet Cruze
During a visit to the Lima Army Tank Plant on Wednesday, President Trump called for the Lordstown GM plant to be sold so workers could be employed there again. His speech echoed sentiments he tweeted out earlier in the week.
“Because the economy is so good, General Motors must get their Lordstown, Ohio, plant open, maybe in a different form or with a new owner, FAST!” Trump tweeted Saturday.
Trump allies acknowledged that Trump may be limited by what he can accomplish for the Lordstown plant, but they said his vocal advocacy signaled to his supporters in the area that he is fighting on their behalf.
According to the GM representative, the future of the Lordstown plant will be jointly decided by General Motors and the UAW.
“To be clear, under the terms of the UAW-GM National Agreement, the ultimate future of the unallocated plants will be resolved between GM and the UAW. We remain open to talking with all affected stakeholders, but our main focus remains on our employees and offering them jobs in our plants where we have growth opportunities. We have now placed over 1,000 employees from our unallocated plants to other GM locations, and we have opportunities available for virtually all impacted employees,” GM's Flores said.
RELATED: GM to end production of Cruze in Lordstown 2 days before previously estimated
