By Christopher Dacanay, The Weirton Daily Times
BEECH BOTTOM, W.Va. — An official with the electric boat manufacturer Pure Watercraft confirmed Thursday that the Seattle-based company has ceased operations at its 80,000-square-foot production facility in the Beech Bottom Industrial Park.
“Pure Watercraft has, unfortunately, ceased operations in Brooke County, although we are not prepared at this time to give an explanation for this course of events,” stated Arne Landboe, customer relationship manager. “We do expect to speak on this matter shortly, but for the moment I cannot offer an official comment. We sincerely hope that the excellent space in Beech Bottom can be filled and effectively used by new tenants as soon as possible to the benefit (of) the community there.”
The news comes almost exactly two years after Pure Watercraft — which has another factory in Tukwila, Wash. — announced plans to occupy the former Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel mill and produce electric outboard motors and pontoon boats with zero emissions.
Beech Bottom’s mill was selected based on its proximity to GM’s Lordstown, Ohio, electric battery plant, as well as a large portion of the pontoon market, according to President and CEO Andrew Rebele, who spoke at a ribbon-cutting on June 5, 2023.
The company originally expected to invest at least $5 million in the plant and create more than 100 full-time jobs by the end of 2025, an Aug. 31, 2022, press release from the West Virginia Governor’s Office states.
