Clarion BiLo Building Purchased; Owner Plans Office, Commercial Space, Trade School

Ron Wilshire

Ron Wilshire

Published March 18, 2015 4:45 am
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CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — Bruce Taylor, of Franklin, has some big ideas for the old BiLo property he just purchased. He thinks he can bring up to 300 new jobs into Clarion and build a new trade school.

            Taylor, owner of numerous office buildings in Venango County and Penn Aire Aviation in Franklin, has purchased the long vacant former BiLo Building in Clarion and intends to renovate it into an office complex with some retail spaces.

Within three years, he also intends to build a trade school on the property.

The 60,000 square foot building has been vacant since 2009 and was included in bankruptcy proceedings.  The official title has not yet been filed with the Clarion County Office of Register and Recorder, according to Greg Mortimer, but Taylor expects it to be filed within a week.

While no purchase price has been recorded, the selling price was reportedly over $1 million.

“It’s already paid for, and I’m going to use it for whatever I am able to use it,” said Taylor Tuesday in an interview with exploreClarion.com

“It will probably be for offices and commercial spaces but not for apartments or anything like that.”

“It’s going to be a nice place, and I have all kinds of visions for it.  The first thing we have to get done is to repair the building, so we get to the position where we can do something with it.  For example, the first thing we have to do is get a new roof on it.  Whatever has to be done, we’re going to do it.”

Taylor already has seven clients he is negotiating with to occupy the building and expects within five years the new facility will attract up to 300 new jobs to Clarion.

“I certainly do believe it will attract more jobs,” said Taylor.  “I have a meeting on Thursday with a business like a Dollar Store, for example, and those people would hire 8 to 10 employees.”

Taylor is also currently tentatively looking at a car dealership for the perimeter of the property.  East Main Street in Clarion now has many car dealerships in the area, but that doesn’t bother Taylor. 

“That’s their problem,” said Taylor.  “They have to worry about me now.”

He also wants to build a new trade school on the property within three years.  He’s not worried that there may be other trade-centered schools in the area.

“I just know that there’s a scarcity of mechanics, welders, and computer people.  I don’t care where you go, there’s a scarcity.  I want to have the building built, the trade school started, and generate electricians, welders, and computer people, a whole gamut of people.  There’s a scarcity of those now, and I want to generate them and get them along on their way to life.  I’m sure I can do it because I know what I’m doing.  We should be able to generate about 100 students per year at the school.”

Taylor owns approximately nine buildings in the Franklin and Oil City and the offices in those buildings employ an estimated 2,300 people.

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