Raytheon, Caldwell Tanks, Bekaert could bring total of 55 jobs to Louisville area
Written on February 26, 2010
Three companies with established operations in the region are exploring expansion projects that could bring 55 jobs to the area.
Raytheon Missile Systems, a division of Waltham, Mass.-based defense contractor Raytheon Co., Louisville-based Caldwell Tanks Inc. and Bekaert Corp.’s Shelbyville plant introduced their potential growth plans at a Feb. 25 meeting of the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority in Frankfort.
Raytheon project could mean 30 jobs
Raytheon currently employs nearly 400 people at its 327,000-square-foot facility at the Airport Industrial Center, a South Louisville complex that formerly was the Naval Ordnance Station.
The company is considering the lease of an additional 25,000 square feet at its Louisville plant to increase its production space. Few other details were provided about the potential new project.
The expansion would create 30 jobs with an annual payroll of $1.15 million and represent an investment of more than $3 million, according to plans on file with the state.
Raytheon officials could not be reached for comment before Business First’s press deadline.
The contractor received preliminary approval for $500,000 in state tax incentives from the KEDFA board for up to 10 years.
Raytheon repairs Phalanx weapons systems for the U.S. Navy and fleets from 25 allied countries at its South Louisville facility.
Another Raytheon affiliate, Raytheon Technical Services Co. LLC, operates its Warfighter Support Center in Fairdale. The center is a depot and parts-repair center for machines used in military training exercises around the world.
Caldwell could add 15 jobs
Caldwell Tanks, which has been building field-erected storage tanks since 1887, currently has 206 employees in Louisville and operates on a 20-acre campus at 4000 Tower Road, off Preston Highway, near Fern Valley Road flexcheck cash advance.
The company plans to add 15,000 square feet to its 14,000-square-foot offices and 24,000 square feet to its 180,000-square-foot production facility, according to CFO Barry Geswein.
The expansion project would create 15 jobs with more than $500,000 in annual payroll. Caldwell’s total investment would be $3.9 million, which includes costs to upgrade equipment and improve work-flow processes, according to its filing with the KEDFA board.
Caldwell designs, fabricates and builds tanks for the water, wastewater, grain, coal and energy industries, according to its Web site, www.caldwelltanks.com.
The company specializes in elevated water-storage towers but also makes carbon and stainless steel industrial-process tanks and vertical concrete storage structures.
Caldwell offers tank coating and recoating services and maintenance programs for its tanks and products made by competitors.
The company will be looking for welders, fabricators and supervisors, Geswein said. There also will be openings in accounting and sales.
The KEDFA board granted the company preliminary approval for $300,000 in state tax incentives for up to 10 years.
Geswein said the incentive package will make “a world of difference” to Caldwell’s expansion plans.
“In this market and this economy, you do everything you can to stay competitive,” he said. “It just makes the whole thing go a lot better.”
Shelbyville plant may hire 10
Bekaert, a Belgian company that makes drawn steel wire used in a variety of applications, such as staples, paper clips and automotive products, plans to add a hot-dip galvanizing line at its 260,000-square-foot plant in Shelbyville.
Filed in: technology.