In the last few months, two major manufacturers, L’Chef and Viracon, took steps to opening new plants in St. George. This means new jobs and a further improved economy. More and more industries are finding their way to Southern Utah. Here is a spotlight on just two of them.
L’Chef
The kitchen machine manufacturer and distributor, L’Chef, opened a plant in St. George Industrial park at the end of September. This company creates Bosch kitchen products and acts as the parent company to NutriMill, which sells home grain mills.
The Washington County plant is dedicated to the production of NutriMill products. As of now, they employ about 10 people with plans to grow. They expect to hire four new employees by the end of 2014 and will also provide business for the plastic manufacturer in Leeds.St. George is happy to welcome them to the business community!
Viracon
Viracon has announced that they are reopening their glass factory at the beginning of next year. The plant closed in February of 2013 due to low demand for construction glass. Construction has since picked up, increasing the demand for Viracon’s product. They are opening their doors in January 2015.
In addition to reopening, they plan to invest $2.2 million to update the plant and expect to offer 300 new jobs. They are an affirmative action employer and therefore recruit disabled persons and veterans.
The Viracon plant is at Fort Pera Industrial Park. To help facilitate the reopening, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development offered $1.4 million in tax incentives.
What This Means
New additions of primary manufacturers is great for St. George’s economy. Manufacturing plants like these diversify the workforce in St. George and help it become an industrial hub that ships products all over the world.
Industry real estate vacancies in St. George have dropped significantly in the last few years from 16% in 2010 to 3.7% in 2014. Industrial lease rates are also up 20-25%. This is great news for real estate in St. George. Property values are up and more people want to invest in the area. The increase in jobs is great for the economy and helps people want to buy homes.
Southern Utah felt the hit from the economic recession, as did everybody. It feels good to now see so many companies investing and moving their businesses to St. George. This work can only be good for the community and the local economy.
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