ASHLAND – SJE Rhombus broke ground on a new 51,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Ashland Business Park.
Executives of the Minnesota-based pump controls company expect to begin construction as soon as weather permits and relocate from its Ohio Street location to the new facility by the end of the year. This will allow the company not only to continue operating in Ashland but also to expand operations here.
“These types of things mark what looks like the beginning of a project, but the reality is, there’s been an unbelievable amount of work that has gone into getting us to this point, not only by only folks internally but just many dozens of people in the community of Ashland,” SJE Rhombus CEO Dave Thomas said at Tuesday’s groundbreaking event.
Ashland Area Economic Development Executive Director Kathy Goon said laying the groundwork for the retention and expansion project has taken about three years.
“January 2015 is when we first started having conversations with them about whether to not they wanted to build in Ashland and stay here,” Goon said. “We’re happy that they did choose Ashland.”
Former Mayor Glen Stewart said the seeds for the expansion may have been planted when SJE Rhombus first came to Ashland.
“I tried to say that you’re certainly welcome and I tried to plant the seed that if you want to expand, we’ve got a great place for you to do that… Some seeds take a little longer to germinate than others, but this one is ready to sprout as soon as they can get equipment in here.”
Thomas thanked the Ashland City Schools board of education and superintendent, Community Improvement Coprpoation, Ashland Area Chamber, Ashland Area Economic Development, Ashland City Council, Ashland County Commissioners, and past and current mayors of Ashland for their support. Many of those groups were involved in facilitating a 75 percent property tax abatement for 15 years as an economic development incentive.
Most of all, Thomas said, he wanted to thank the team of about 67 employees who work in the Ashland location.
“They’re the reason why we have chosen to make this investment in the Ashland community and in our Ashland team,” he said. “Their drive, their dedication and just their embodiment of the vision and values that we have at this company are without question an inspiration for me and an inspiration for our leadership team every time we visit Ashland, Ohio.”
SJE Rhombus Chief Financial Officer Tonya Suckert said the new facility will allow the company to continue growing and to deploy more efficient manufacturing methods. She added that Ashland’s central location and the fact that it is a hub for the pump industry were appealing.
But the most important factor in the decision to stay and grow in Ashland was the people, Thomas said.
“We’ve had very good success with our workforce in Ashland, and the city’s been great to work with as well,” he said. “We have eight locations around the world and each one has its own kind of microculture to a degree. The culture of the Ashland facility is very engaged, very driven, a great workforce, tremendous quality. So as we looked around at all the areas we could expand expand, we felt probably the most comfortable with Ashland.”
Mark Ostlie, Director of Operations, said the company has been expanding the Ashland team each year and expects to keep adding employees in Ashland.
Tuesday’s ceremony took place amid wind and rain but drew a small crowd of current and former local officials as well as some media representatives.
“It’s very special and very humbling for us even on a day like today to see that kind of support,” Suckert said. “That is what we have felt through the process. That just reinforces that we are where we need to be.”
