The company intends to be operating in the second quarter.
The Ohio Tax Credit Authority met Monday to consider a job creation tax credit for United Alloy and other companies.
Rebecca Bortner, United Alloy chief commercial officer, said her company focuses on metal fabrication, coating, and welding, producing leak-proof fuel tanks, skids, trailers, and components that require complex weldments.
“Less than making the same thing over and over again — which we do — what we’re really good at is kind of custom projects, the more complex weldments," she said in an interview with the Dayton Daily News before Monday’s official announcement.
The business has facilities in Wisconsin, Texas and Quincy, Ill. Union would be its fourth location in some four years.
The business has 863 employees total, Bortner said.
“In researching where would be the next smartest place, Dayton really shook out as unique,” she said.
What attracted United Alloy to the area were the availability of industrial real estate to lease, a skilled workforce, proximity to a transportation corridor, a high density of other metal fabrication companies in the area and a “tax-friendly” economy.
“It was kind of all the things we would need,” she said. “But what really sticks out is the workforce.”
She believes the number of Union employees will be close to 100.
“We’re moving as fast as possible to get up and running, because the demand we’re seeing is really high,” Bortner said.
Demand from and for data center construction is part of what’s driving growth, she said.
In December, Amazon Web Services confirmed plans for a data center in Fayette County near the Jeffersonville outlet mall, about an hour’s drive from Montgomery County.
Last year, Google and Amazon added nearly 400 megawatts of data center capacity around the Columbus area, the Columbus Dispatch has reported.
A big part of what United Alloy makes are fuel tanks and exhaust plenums, or connective structures required by large HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) systems.
When a data center is built, there are support structures needed to house emergency power back-up systems. United Alloy has carved a niche for itself in that and other areas, Bortner said.
The Tax Credit Authority approved a 1.32%, seven-year job creation tax credit for the project. That means for seven years, United Alloy can claim a 1.3% credit on new Ohio payroll related to the project location.
“Given strong demand for United Alloy products and services, we’re excited to join the Dayton community with our new manufacturing facility,” Vanessa Dubick, United Alloy chief executive, said in a statement. “This is great news for our customers, employees, and talent in the Dayton region and we look forward to getting set up in Ohio.”
“We and our partners welcome United Alloy’s decision to choose Union for its new manufacturing, its first in Ohio,” JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef said in the same statement.
How to apply
The Janesville, Wisc.-based company will host a hiring event 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 21 at 1925 Union Airpark Blvd. Job-seekers may also visit unitedalloy.com.
About the Author
