TECUMSEH ? About 75 people gathered in Tecumseh on Thursday to celebrate the survival of the Innovia Films cellophane plant and to thank the man responsible.

David Beeby, Innovia’s chief executive officer, decided in May to close a plant in Bridgwater, England, sparing the Tecumseh plant and its 190 local jobs.

A $2 million incentive package approved by state lawmakers and local officials didn’t hurt.

“Politicians don’t always get a good name,” Beeby told Sen. Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, who vowed in January to come up with the money. “You made promises and delivered.”

Employees said they were glad to no longer live with the uncertainty of whether they would have a job.

“We’re grateful to be given a chance to prove ourselves,” said Dennis Howard, 35, who has worked at the plant for seven years.

Linda Dreher, plant controller, said the plant touches more than just its regular work force, employing 75 contract workers in the community for regular services.

“If it had shut down, it would have affected a lot more than 190 employees,” Dreher said.