The shovels went into the ground and dirt was turned, signaling the start of construction of a 30,000-square-foot industrial water regeneration plant.
Pilkington Commercial Company hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday morning at the site of the future MPW Industrial Services facility. Pilkington will build the facility on eight acres of land at 7950 E. 30th St., and it should be operating by the second quarter of 2019.
MPW is investing about $9 million on the project, which will initially have 35 full-time employees, with an estimated direct annual payroll in excess of $2 million. Eventually the facility will have 44 new jobs.
President Jared Black announced that the company will be moving a satellite office from Kingman to Yuma, which will mean “more jobs, drivers and technology for Yuma.”
This is MPW’s first expansion into the West, the “flag in the ground in the West Coast.” The company started its search a couple of years ago and looked at several western states. In the end, it came down to water availability, workforce, environment and incentives and Yuma won out.
“This community thus far is right there on top,” Black said. “We’re excited to get this moving.”
Black’s father, Monty, established the company in 1972, offering pressure washing of semi trucks. Then he expanded into industrial cleaning, water treatment, facility management and portable shower cleaning at places such as race tracks and concerts. The company will have 60 portable showers at the Coachella music festival that kicks off this weekend.
Leo Pilkington, owner of the Pilkington Commercial Company, pointed out this “wonderful” facility will not only benefit Yuma but the entire state. He noted that Yuma has a “very hard-working workforce” with the necessary skill levels and a college that is working to educate these needed tradesmen.
Black pointed out that Yuma’s location allows MPW to easily reach nearby clients. MPW’s regeneration facility will serve customers within a 700-mile radius, restoring the exhausted resin from the company’s mobile deionization systems back to an ionic form capable of purifying more water. Clients requiring pure water for their processes include the automotive, power generation, petrochemical and refining and pulp and paper industries.
The Yuma facility will be MPW’s sixth regeneration plant, joining Newark, Ohio; Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Sedalia, Mo.; Port Arthur, Texas; and Andrews, S.C. With nearly 3,000 employees and 73 locations in the United States and Canada, MPW’s corporate headquarters is in Hebron, Ohio.
John Courtis, executive director of the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce, thanked Black “for putting all his chips in Yuma.” He told the MPW representatives that they will find a spirit of generosity in Yuma like nowhere else.
Julie Engel, president and CEO of the Greater Yuma Economic Development Corp., said that it has been refreshing to work with a family-owned company that is “so fast, so responsive.”
She praised the site MPW chose, in the Yuma Commerce Center, off of Interstate 8, for its visibility.
“You’re the type of company we want people to know is here,” Engel said, adding, “Your success is our success … Thank you so much for believing in Yuma.”
GYEDC previously noted that over the initial four-year period of operation, MPW’s facility will have an impact of more than $31.7 million within the Yuma area.
Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls agreed that the city has enjoyed working with a company that makes quick but not haphazard decisions. “It’s nice to have a low level of bureaucracy,” he said, noting that the city is always looking to grow its industrial base and welcomes a variety of industries.
He noted that the city has recently seen a lot of job growth and MPW is part of that, helping to build upon the momentum.
She praised the site MPW chose, in the Yuma Commerce Center, off of Interstate 8, for its visibility.
“You’re the type of company we want people to know is here,” Engel said, adding, “Your success is our success … Thank you so much for believing in Yuma.”
GYEDC previously noted that over the initial four-year period of operation, MPW’s facility will have an impact of more than $31.7 million within the Yuma area.
Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls agreed that the city has enjoyed working with a company that makes quick but not haphazard decisions. “It’s nice to have a low level of bureaucracy,” he said, noting that the city is always looking to grow its industrial base and welcomes a variety of industries.
He noted that the city has recently seen a lot of job growth and MPW is part of that, helping to build upon the momentum.
She praised the site MPW chose, in the Yuma Commerce Center, off of Interstate 8, for its visibility.
“You’re the type of company we want people to know is here,” Engel said, adding, “Your success is our success … Thank you so much for believing in Yuma.”
GYEDC previously noted that over the initial four-year period of operation, MPW’s facility will have an impact of more than $31.7 million within the Yuma area.
Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls agreed that the city has enjoyed working with a company that makes quick but not haphazard decisions. “It’s nice to have a low level of bureaucracy,” he said, noting that the city is always looking to grow its industrial base and welcomes a variety of industries.
He noted that the city has recently seen a lot of job growth and MPW is part of that, helping to build upon the momentum.
By Mara Knaub, @YSMaraKnaub Yuma Sun
Apr 5, 2018