Superior Roll Forming expansion gains steam

LIVERPOOL TWP. — State approval has been granted for tax credits related to Superior Roll Forming's $22.6 million expansion in Valley City, a push that's expected to spell roughly 150 new jobs over the next couple of years. In anticipation of the move, European-based parent company Welser Profile purchased roughly 160,000 square feet of space in the Liverpool Industrial Park on Crane Drive, which also houses an existing Superior Roll Forming facility. The company announced Monday that meetings with the Ohio Tax Credit Authority as well as local figures like Medina County Economic Development Corp.'s Bethany Dentler have led to agreement on project tax credits. Welser has also requested a 12-year, 100 percent property tax abatement, but that it only will apply to any valuation increases that come as a result of new work, meaning existing taxes on the building and land will continue to be paid. Early estimates for the 12-year value of the tax abatement come in around $1.16 million, Dentler said in March. "This investment by Superior Roll Forming represents Medina County's largest capital investment by a manufacturer since the start of the pandemic," she said Monday. "We have been privileged to work with them for several years now on their expansion plans and it is gratifying to see the Welser family's confidence in our community and the labor force in the region." Acquisition of Superior Roll Forming was Welser's first North American venture. New local hiring should begin before summer with actual work in those new positions starting late this year or early next year. Company officials said they expect the Valley City facility to be ready for occupancy in August after a number of renovations and equipment orders. "We are very excited to continue our expansion plans in North America. We are blessed with great employees and a community that is so committed to our success," said Welser President and CEO Bill Johnson. "We look forward to adding more team members to the Welser profile family in Ohio." Expansion in Valley City is also projected to lead to 220 jobs being retained, according to Johnson. Welser is under 11th-generation family ownership and was established in 1664 as a foundry in Austria. Early last year, Dentler spoke of Welser plans to build a new facility in Westfield Township. Specifics at that time reportedly involved a $60 million initial investment and roughly 100 new jobs across 280,000 square feet of space. However, the deal fell through partially because of certain areas of Westfield Township being deemed ineligible for new Medina County sewer extensions. Welser had learned in order to gain sewer services it would have to tie into Westfield Center village's system, which involved a roughly $2 million additional cost to build a new pump station. Welser's Westfield facility would have been located on Greenwich Road near state Route 224 on the roughly 110-acre Kratzer Farm property. Since new plans for Valley City only involve an existing building, sewer hook-up problems have been taken out of the equation. Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.