The Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce announced at a news conference Wednesday that Continental Commercial Products will relocate its manufacturing facility to Jefferson City. The new facility plans to open by the end of 2015.
Missy Bonnot, the Director of Economic Development at the Chamber of Commerce, said the company is expected to create up to 200 new jobs in Jefferson City.
Continental Commercial Products is a division of Katy Industries and specializes in creating janitorial and food service cleaning products. The company’s manufacturing facility is currently located in Bridgeton, MO and will move into the building formerly occupied by R. R. Donnelley, which closed in August 2013.
Mayor Eric Struemph and state Senator Mike Kehoe were among those speaking at the conference. Struemph said he is excited to get back some of the 450 jobs lost by R. R. Donnelley’s closing.
“We didn’t have any pre-warning of [R. R. Donnelley’s closing] at all. Obviously those families and those employees didn’t either,” Struemph said. “It’s huge for our community. We’re looking at 150 jobs this year and another 50 next year and even some more after that.”
Senator Kehoe said he is proud of how different city departments have planned to bring in new companies like Continental Commercial Products.
“We create a great quality of life here in this city and we are able to produce one of the best workforces you’ll find anywhere in the country,” Kehoe said.
Bonnot said the company was considering other locations, including St. Louis, Fort Wayne, IN and Vandalia, IL for its facility relocation. She said the competition forced the city to complete the planning process in only eight weeks.
“In my 22 years of experience in economic development, this is probably one of the fastest jobs I’ve ever worked,” Bonnot said. “It was just a very competitive, very fast project and I’m just glad that they decided to locate to Jefferson City.”
Bonnot said the city offered tax breaks and a $5,000 infrastructure grant as incentives for the company’s facility relocation.
Struemph said that the manufacturer’s relocation could open the door for suppliers of the company’s products to relocate to Jefferson City in the future.
“[Suppliers could] cut down their freight costs, all of the above, and have the original project with less costs, which would be more sales for them,” Struemph said.
Representatives with Continental Commercial Products were not available for comment at the news conference. Vice President of Human Resources Brian Nichols said in a press release, “The benefits associated with this location made Jefferson City the best option for relocation of our manufacturing facility.”