FRANKFORT, Ky. — Dump truck bed manufacturer Logan Corp. will expand its Eastern Kentucky plant with a $1.2 million investment, setting the stage for improved workflow, greater employee retention and increased production volume.
“Logan Corp. reinvented its business model when faced with a market shift, and the company’s innovation has been rewarded with solid growth and the ongoing creation of much-needed jobs for Eastern Kentuckians,” Gov. Andy Beshear said. “Logan embodies a forward-looking approach, one we Kentuckians should embrace in the years to come. I’d like to thank Logan for this investment and wish the company well as it continues to grow.”
Logan Corp. began production of high quality dump truck bodies at the company’s Martin County facility in 2015 in response to the nationwide downturn in the coal industry. Logan quickly outgrew the Martin County facility and relocated to a facility five times larger in Magoffin County. That move to Salyersville, Ky. resulted in the ongoing hiring of 70 additional Kentucky residents. Since 2015, Logan Corp.’s dump truck body sales have grown 20% year over year with continued growth anticipated.
To facilitate this growth, Logan plans to expand the Salyersville facility by 13,000 s.f. in order to accommodate the installation of a Wheelabrator. The Wheelabrator is a large-scale sand-and-media-blasting unit that will be used to prepare dump truck bodies for paint application, and its addition will dramatically increase production speed by eliminating a labor-intensive, hand-sanding process. Logan’s executives plan to finish the project by December 2020.
“Logan Corp.’s management team is thrilled to announce this expansion,” said Randy Risner, Logan Corp. vice president. “We continue to be grateful to our extremely skilled and hard-working employees, the State of Kentucky, Magoffin County, the City of Salyersville and state agencies such as the Kentucky Economic Development Financing Authority and the Kentucky Skills Network for their continued support.”
Founded in Logan, W.Va., as a hardware store in 1904, Logan Corp. got its start as a supplier of farm machinery, mining equipment and household goods. The company, now headquartered in Nitro, W.Va., distributes globally recognized equipment brands, operates three manufacturing facilities of its own, and provides services for the mining, railroad, industrial, construction and power-generation industries. The company currently employs 74 in Salyersville and plans to increase employment over the coming years.
Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, praised Logan for the company’s investment in Eastern Kentucky.
“I want to commend Logan Corp. and their contribution to supporting Kentucky’s workforce,” Smith said. “This expansion displays their continuous effort of providing jobs to Magoffin County and the surrounding communities.”
Rep. John Blanton, R-Salyersville, said the company has made great progress over the course of just a few years.
“I am extremely pleased at today’s announcement from Logan Corp. After just four years we are looking at an almost 15% workforce expansion and investment in a technology that will make the company more efficient,” Blanton said. “These types of projects are exactly why the KEDFA incentives were created and I’m glad that we were all able to work together to make it happen.
Salyersville Mayor Pete Shepherd said Logan’s growth benefits not just the city, but the entire region.
“Logan Corp.’s continued investment in their Salyersville facility means a lot not only to our community, but to the people of Eastern Kentucky,” Mayor Shepherd said. “We look forward to their continued growth and success here.”
Magoffin County Judge/Executive Matthew Wireman said he and Mayor Shepherd appreciate the company’s dedication to creating opportunities in Eastern Kentucky.
“Logan Corp. has been a longstanding member of the Eastern Kentucky business community and we are both proud and fortunate they call Magoffin County home,” Wireman said.
One East Kentucky President and CEO Chuck Sexton said the company’s manufacturing prowess provides tremendous value to the region.
“Logan Corp. has been a great partner of One East Kentucky since our nine-county regional economic development efforts began in 2015,” Sexton said. “Logan Corp. is an anchor in Eastern Kentucky’s manufacturing sector. Their project in 2016 was One East Kentucky’s first economic development project after being incorporated the year prior. We are proud of the success they have experienced and will continue to have in our region.”
To encourage the investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) approved Logan Corp. for up to $20,000 in tax incentives through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act (KEIA). KEIA allows approved companies to recoup Kentucky sales and use tax on construction costs, building fixtures, equipment used in research and development and electronic processing.
In addition, Logan Corp. can receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network. Through the Kentucky Skills Network, companies can receive no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job training incentives.
For more information on Logan Corp., visit www.LoganCorp.com.
A detailed community profile for Magoffin County can be viewed here.
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