Posted on 03/28/2017 5:55:26 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
PRINCETON — Two new manufacturing companies, and three other currently unidentified projects, will create approximately 280 new jobs for Mercer County, officials confirmed Wednesday.
Mercer County Development Authority Executive Director Janet Bailey said in a report given at a Development Authority meeting that the new projects represent an estimated $15.5 million in new capital investments for 2017 and 2018. She said officials have four or five manufacturing projects underway and three projects “we can’t talk about yet.”
Bailey said project number one involves a company moving from Cedar Bluff, Va. to Princeton. “Project number one is Elgin Industries/Tabor Machines,” Bailey said. “Elgin is in the process of moving their Cedar Bluff, Va. operations to the Princeton facility. All Cedar Bluff employees will be moved to Princeton by the end of April. The total capital investment on the Elgin Project is $1.8 million. This includes an industrial access road project in the amount of $400,000.”
According to Bailey, the new job creation for Elgin Industries project will be 79 jobs within three years.
Bailey said the development authority is borrowing $525,000 from the Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council. She said that funding will be used to purchase and remodel a 27,000-square-foot facility that the development authority will lease back to Elgin Industries/Tabor Machines.
Bailey said project number two is with a company called Air Dynamics.
“Tim Warden, president of Engart Global, has signed a one-year lease agreement with the option to purchase the authority’s building,” Bailey said.
County Commissioner Gene Bucker said the new jobs are not going to be routine wages. “Anytime, you have a growth spurt it’s great for the county,” Bucker said. “It’s going to be manufacturing wages. It’s going to help the economic development of the county.”
Buckner also said the new jobs will also create a purchasing power and will create a sales tax base.
The Air Dynamics building will be located at 4986 John Nash Blvd at the Cumberland Road Industrial Park.
“Capital Investment, $1 million dollars with 20 new jobs the first year,” Bailey said of the Air Dynamics project. “Air Dynamics will manufacture industrial duct work used for ventilation and dust control. They will also manufacture a line of pollution control equipment.”
Project number three is a non-manufacturing company, Bailey said.
Bailey said West Virginia Community Builders will make a $6.8 million dollar capital investment project.
“Last week the Mercer County Commission paved the way for West Virginia Community Builders to utilize tax credits to construct a multi-family housing project on property located on Route 123 Airport Road, Bluefield,” she said.
Bailey said the project will have 36 rental units. “Consisting of one, two and three bedroom town houses,” Bailey said. “The town houses will be equipped with refrigerator, stove and microwave, garbage disposal and dishwashers. They will be energy efficient, heating and A/C water conserving toilets, shower heads, faucets. A tenant lounge, laundry facility, playground — 30 percent green space. Off street parking and on site office with property manager and maintenance staff. Residents must have a qualified annual household income of $33,000 to $47,000.”
Bailey said there will be 30 ancillary jobs created during the first year of construction on the town house project.
The three unidentified companies will create the remainder of the estimated 280 jobs.
Assistant Development Authority Director Carolyn McKinney said Elgin Industries/Tabor Machines and Air Dynamics will probably start hiring in the very near future. McKinney also added that the three unidentified projects were “warehouse distributions” but could not give any details about the projects.
County Commissioner Greg Puckett said Mercer County is prime for economic growth.
“Having new jobs come to our area is a signal that our strategies are starting to pay off, and that we are open for business,” Puckett said. “We must continue to push as hard as we can to create the environment that is conducive to more opportunities.”
Seems to be a job/building of cheap places to work going on in the small town of Millington, TN. A movie theater, dress barn, Petco, at least 4 new fast food joints, 2 had closed down poor business management. How many chicken places does a small town need? The large now vacant lovely old fashion Picturist hardware/lighting/lumber/yard with a small food service was ignored in favor of empty lots occupied about a block, with room for the movie theater behind it. Just needed to be sectioned off for the stores.
Have no idea the number of jobs it will create, but they are all low wage entry level positions, with the exceptions of managers.
Any job created is better than no jobs.
Most if they keep agitating for $15 a hr will be replaced by robots. A burger flipper is not worth that, a Soldier is more if in harms way, as are LEO, FIRE, EMT. The type employee is important too, some can’t speak English well enough for you to under stand them. Nail salons employees all jabber in their foreign language and English is very poor because they refuse to use it enough to speak it.
My grand dad and family came from Italy pre WW2, he made every one of the kids learn English, become Citizens and embrace the US culture. My dad was the only US born citizen after his parents were naturalized, and fought in WW2 as he was the only single male.
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