Del.’s $645K loan to have green jobs benefits

Delaware, a state hit with a recent spate of bad news on the jobs front, had some good news today: the prospect of 67 new green jobs at PTM Manufacturing L.L.C. in Newark.

The 11-year-old company specializes in energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning technologies. Until recently, it was a fabrication division of Eastern Industrial Services Inc. of Newark.

With a $645,000 Delaware Strategic Fund loan, PTM will establish a separate corporate headquarters in northern Delaware within the next year, said Nikki A. Boone, spokeswoman for the Delaware Economic Development Office.

The company also plans to expand its line of green products, which is anticipated to create 23 new jobs in the first year and as many as 67 jobs within three years, Boone said.

The announcement comes three weeks after Valero Energy Corp. said it would close its refinery in Delaware City, Del., putting 550 employees out of work.

   – Diane Mastrull