ExxonMobile told employees at its research facility in Paulsboro Tuesday that they could be moving to Clinton within the next two years.
PAULSBORO -- Employees at the ExxonMobil Research Facility were told Tuesday that the facility could be closing, with its operations moving to North Jersey.
The company has not yet made any decisions, according to Lauren Kerr, ExxonMobil's Operation Media Relations Manager.
"We're currently evaluating the possibility of moving the ExxonMobil Research and Engineering technical center to co-locate research activities and laboratories at our research facility in Clinton, NJ," she said via email. "No final decisions have been made, and many factors remain to be considered."
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There are currently 340 employees at the technical center.
"We recognize that this announcement presents uncertainty to those employees, their families and the community," Kerr continued. "We are committed to sharing information as the study progresses, including potential impact on personnel.
If Exxon Mobile decides to move out of the Paulsboro facility, it will not happen until at least 2018, Kerr said.
Judy Mackenzie, a spokeswoman for the Greater Paulsboro Chamber of Commerce, said if this were to occur, the borough would be "very disappointed" to lose the jobs, but she's optimistic that the evaluation will end with the company staying in the borough.
"It really is a top notch facility. Hopefully they will remain here," she said, adding that ExxonMobil has evaluated similar moves in the past, but always chose to stay.
"I'm going to stay optimistic that it's part of the regular review practice and they decide to stay open," she continued.
Rebecca Forand may be reached at rforand@southjerseymedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @RebeccaForand. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
