Webster Industries Announces $8M Expansion

    TIFFIN, OH, October 20, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Webster Industries announces today its intention to select Tiffin as its location for its next three-year, $8.3 million expansion. Tiffin beat out Meridian, Mississippi - where Webster has another manufacturing location - and northern Alabama, who has been recruiting the company for months. The decision is contingent upon the finalization of state and local incentives.

The project is expected to create 65 new jobs and retain all 294 existing employees at their Tiffin headquarters. A new 38,000 square foot expansion will be constructed onto their existing facility, the headquarters will be renovated, and an additional $4.5 million investment into new machinery and equipment will be made. The project is motivated by new global business opportunities, expected increases in targeted markets, new product offerings, and continued improvement in service through vertical integration.

President & CEO Andrew Felter attributes the decision to strong growth opportunities, a committed and experienced workforce in Tiffin, an established localized supply chain, and significant support from state and local government. "We are proud to be an employee-owned company located in Tiffin, Ohio. Webster's people are and will continue to be the key to our success. These reasons and the committed incentives from JobsOhio and the City of Tiffin pushed the decision over the top."

Tiffin Mayor Aaron Montz was very pleased by the news. "Tiffin is a community on the move, and this investment continues our track record of success in economic development. We are proud Webster calls Tiffin home and appreciate their contributions to our economy." Dean Monske, President & CEO of the Regional Growth Partnership, "We are pleased to serve as the JobsOhio regional partner and work with Webster and Tiffin to make this deal happen. Northwest Ohio is experiencing an industrial renaissance, and Webster is part of that story."

Tiffin City Council will first be reviewing applications for the 50 percent, ten-year Enterprise Zone tax exemption and a 50 percent, five-year Municipal Income Tax Credit on Monday, October 20. The project is also expected to receive a JobsOhio Economic Development Grant and go before the Ohio Tax Credit Authority at the end of the month for a potential Ohio Job Creation Tax Credit.

About Webster Industries
From their beginning in 1876 in Chicago, Illinois, Webster has grown into a premier leader in industrial conveyor chain and vibrating conveyors, used in a wide variety of industries including forest products, food, automotive, cement, grain, asphalt, recycling, and steel industries. The company employs more than 300 nationally at its Tiffin, Ohio (Established 1907), Meridian, Mississippi; and Portland, Oregon locations. Learn more at www.websterchain.com.

About SIEDC
Started in 1983, the Seneca Industrial and Economic Development Corp. (SIEDC) is a private, non-profit corporation dedicated to driving positive economic, downtown, and community development in Tiffin and Seneca County, Ohio. In 2012, the community was ranked in the top 5 percent nationally for economic development, and last year, it was recognized as one of the top ten communities out of 600 micropolitans in the US. Learn more about the great things going on at the company's blog at www.senecasuccess.com.

About JobsOhio
JobsOhio is the private economic development marketing and sales arm of the State of Ohio, developing and implementing the state's economic development strategy and crafting incentive and support packages to spur economic development in key targeted industries. In 2013 alone, JobsOhio reported projects involving 18,000 new jobs and $3.6 billion in capital investment. Learn more at www.jobsohio.com.

About Regional Growth Partnership
Based in Toledo, Ohio, the Regional Growth Partnership (RGP) is private, nonprofit corporation designed to drive job creation and new capital investment in northwest Ohio through business attraction, retention and expansion efforts. The RGP also serves as the JobsOhio Northwest network partner, serving as the JobsOhio point of contact and customer service for state incentives for an 18-county region. Learn more at www.rgp.org.

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