The leading manufacturer of heavy-duty buses in the U.S. and Canada has officially started production in Jamestown.

On Thursday, state, county, city and local elected representatives welcomed New Flyer officials to Jamestown at their new production facility at 254 Fluvanna Ave., which was the former location of the Fluvanna Quality Markets. The ceremony included state Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul speaking about New Flyer selecting Jamestown for their new manufacturing facility.

One reason why New Flyer started operations in a new manufacturing facility in Jamestown is because of the stipulation in their contract with the New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority to manufacture in New York state. She said New Flyer has manufactured more than 2,200 transit buses during the last 20 years.

“Every New Yorker has been on one of your buses,” Hochul joked about the importance of their buses in New York City.

Hochul said Jamestown, which used to be known as “Furniture Capitol of the World” because of the high-quality wood furniture produced at one time in the city, is a great community for New Flyer to have selected to find a quality workforce. She said the former grocery store is no longer empty after being vacant for eight years. She added the creation of the New Flyer operation has created around 40 new jobs for the city.