BRASELTON — An Ohio company is locating a new factory and distribution warehouse in Braselton, bringing up to 140 jobs to the area, Gov. Sonny Perdue confirmed Thursday.
Dayton Superior Corp., a construction products manufacturer headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, is investing $15 million in the 192,000-square-foot facility at 1350 Braselton Parkway. The location will be its primary manufacturing and distribution center in the Southeast, according to Perdue's office.
Announcement of the plans were originally made in April, but Thursday brought release of official news from the governor's office and the company which will hire 90 employees in its first year of operation with plans to add another 50 the following year.
Rick Zimmerman, Dayton Superior president and chief executive officer, said, "We wanted a stronger manufacturing and distribution presence in the Southeast, and our investment in the new Braselton facility in Jackson County was central to that strategy." He said the Braselton location will assist in reaching the goal to be within a day's reach of a large segment of Dayton Superior's customer base.
"This is the second official announcement from the governor's office of a new company choosing Jackson County this year," said Shane Short, president and CEO of the Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce.
Short said the Georgia Department of Labor in Athens is currently screening job applicants, and work has been under way for a couple of months to prepare the building Dayton Superior will occupy. The company will occupy half of the 2-year-old building which also houses SafeLite Auto Glass.
"This is another company coming, and we are excited," said Short, who is pleased with the $15 million investment by Dayton Superior, the third company currently being assisted with job application screening by the Athens Department of Labor.
A total of 670 jobs have been brought to Jackson County thus far this year, Short said.
He said another official announcement is also on the horizon as TranSouth Logistics occupies 190,000 square feet in Braselton Tech Center behind Year One. Fifty jobs will be created as the third-party logistics company comes to Jackson County. TranSouth primarily handles flooring with Armstrong and Bruce Hardwood being big clients.
Dayton Superior's investment also includes technology to enhance its products.
Jeff Dawley, the company's vice president of manufacturing, said, "We've invested in new manufacturing machinery with some of the most technologically advanced capabilities and quality controls in our industry,"
Georgia's Quick Start work force training program will assist Dayton Superior's manufacturing operation in preparing new hires for work at the Braselton facility. Quick Start provides customized work force training free as an incentive for companies to create new jobs in Georgia.
Georgia Department of Economic Development project manager Anne Stafford assisted the company with this location.
Quick Start has also assisted Chico's FAS at its Georgia campus with its expanding operations in the Barrow County Industrial Park off Ga. 316. Special ceremonies were held Wednesday commemorating that company's additional $10 million investment in property and well above that in new conveyor and racking systems.