What everybody ought to know about the leading Scooter Company plans

Here is interesting news on a National scooter manufacturing company that will be help Nacogdoches economy by making and selling Electric scooters, of course that includes three wheel electric scooters.

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USA's 'only scooter manufacturer' could be in Nac by 2011
By Trend Jacobs
Sentinel Staff

Could Nacogdoches be "The Oldest Town in Texas" and the "Scooter Capital of America?"

Actually, yes, it is very possible. That is if everything goes according to plan, says CEO of the National Scooter Company Greg James, who already owns the Lonestar Scooters store off of North Street.

James told The Daily Sentinel that he is hoping to break ground next March on a scooter manufacturing plant and corporate headquarters after he secures some federal grant money and finalizes negotiations to purchase a portion of Twist N' Go Scooters, based in Seattle, Wash. The company could be pumping out fuel efficient and electric vehicles right here in Nacogdoches by March of 2011.

According to James, who has nearly 30 years experience in the motor vehicle business, there is not a single other scooter manufacturing company that actually makes and sells scooters and other electric vehicles inside the U.S.

While many economists are saying that the country is pulling out of the recession, inflation is expected to drive prices up for the next couple of years due to low consumer demand coupled with high government spending, James said. That could be good news for James who said, "As prices go up, it's going to be painful for consumers and they're going to start looking for transportation alternatives. So I think scooters, motorcycles and other electronic vehicles are a very viable alternative."

The manufacturing side of the company will be moved from China to Nacogdoches, as will nearly every other aspect of the business, including product design, engineering and marketing. He estimates that there will be at least 60 jobs created by the National Scooter Company by the end of the third year, and by the end of the seventh year, James estimates that more than 100 jobs will be created directly and indirectly with domestic suppliers. The short-term employment gain from the construction phase is estimated to add 50 jobs for nine to 12 months.

James said that one employee will remain in Shanghai, China, and a web developer will remain on his payroll in Seattle.

On Nov. 2, James will attend a public hearing at city hall where it is expected that city commissioners will give their blessing for his efforts to obtain the federal grants needed to bring the business to Nacogdoches.

"It's simply just very inexpensive to build things in Asia and the only way we can offset that cost and bring those jobs to the United States is for the federal government to get involved," James said, likening the situation to the Harley-Davidson Motor Company who also received federal grants to help them assemble their motorcycles in the United States with imported parts.

There will also be opportunities for white collar jobs alongside assembly line jobs, and James said that he is looking to partner up with Stephen F. Austin State University to possibly create a co-op and internships down the road.

"I just think this is a really good opportunity for Nacogdoches to diversify its economy. I think the grant funding is a strong win for the community, in that it's outside dollars and will help create new jobs that I think will be a really good match with SFA."

Because the gas powered scooters get such high mileage, 75 miles per gallon and up, and other models will run entirely off electricity, James said he will be eligible for government grants that are aimed to help green industries like his grow.

Eighty percent of the scooters and other products are already being shipped from Seattle to the central and eastern parts of the country, James said, and moving the assembly plant to Texas would offer a more central location for distribution.

Because of a number of logistical advantages, including the proximity to the Port of Houston, and the state and city's pro-business environment, combined with his "strong affinity" for the area, James feels that Nacogdoches is a relatively ideal place to set up shop. One possible location for the company could be the Research and Industrial Park located in the north of town which, so far, has failed to attract any other businesses, and remains little more than an empty lot.

But one of the main reasons James wants to start the business in Nacogdcohes is the low labor costs relative to major urban cities like Houston or Dallas. And once the company is up and running, James expects that suppliers will flock to Nacogdoches, therefore creating even more jobs.

"Job growth is not just going to come from the National Scooter Company," James said. "It's going to come from the suppliers that we buddy-up with. This is exactly what happens with automobile plants, like when Toyota opened a factory in San Antonio. It wasn't just the Toyota jobs that came to San Antonio, it was the glass, tire, steel and electrical jobs. That's going to be the real peripheral growth."

As renewable energy and other sustainable technologies become a bigger part of the country's consciousness and overall economy, James thinks there will be a significant market for high-mileage gas powered vehicles and rechargeable electric vehicles.

James is looking to create innovative modes of transportation that will include large three-wheeled vehicles, collapsible vehicles, five-wheelers, off-road two-wheelers for hunters and street-legal neighborhood electric vehicles. He is even looking into electric motorcycles, and as battery technology continues to improve, James projects that 70 percent of the models manufactured by the National Scooter Company could be electric by 2018.

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Enjoy your three wheel electric scooter and I hope you have found this post useful.

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