SHADYSIDE — Almost exactly one year after Commercial Vehicle Group Inc. announced plans to cease stamping operations at its Shadyside plant and put 172 employees out of work, officials with Warren Distribution are hoping to acquire the facility.

Omaha, Neb.-based Warren operates a “blending and packaging” business in Glen Dale. On Wednesday, Warren Distribution Chief Operating Officer Donna Weeda confirmed her company is in negotiations to buy the Shadyside plant.

“We are trying to acquire it,” she said. “CVG still occupies it at this time.”

On July 21, 2016, CVG officials announced the Shadyside plant would close before the end of this month. At the time, company leaders said they would move the work now done at the plant along Ohio 7 to “alternative facilities,” including one in Agua Prieta, Mexico.

Last year, CVG spokeswoman Laura Macias said, “We appreciate the service and contributions of our Shadyside workforce and will do all we can to support their transition over the course of the next 12 months.”

On Wednesday, however, Macias could not be reached for comment, while company spokesman Terry Hammett said he was “not familiar with the status of that facility.”

Those at the plant Wednesday also declined to comment on the matter.

However, Belmont County Commissioner Mark Thomas and Port Authority Director Larry Merry welcomed the possibility of an acquisition by Warren Distribution.

“We are hopeful that any prospective purchaser will create jobs in the village of Shadyside. We also thank CVG and its incredible workforce for being such an integral part of our economy for so many years. We continue to be firmly committed to laying the foundation for the private sector to create jobs here,” Thomas said.

“We’re excited someone is investing in the community and will probably be bringing jobs to that area. There haven’t been any decisions made yet, but we are here to help if the company needs it,” Merry added.

Weeda said Warren is “growing rapidly.” The company’s website shows it began work in Glen Dale in 2006, while it also maintains operations in Iowa and Alabama, in addition to its Nebraska headquarters.

“This is due to the expansion of our business,” Weeda added of the potential purchase of the CVG facility.

The company describes itself on its website as a “manufacturer, marketer and distributor of automotive aftermarket products.”

Weeda declined to comment on potential employment levels and the specific type of work to be done at Shadyside, noting doing so would be premature because the sale is not complete.

Staff Writer Janell Hunter contributed to this report.