Taylor, Kvamme, Exterran VP to Attend Youngstown Plant Groundbreaking

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor will join local officials and representatives of Exterran Energy Solutions LC for a groundbreaking event at the site of the company’s new plant Tuesday.

Daniel Schlanger, Exterran senior vice president, and Mark Kvamme, JobsOhio president and interim chief executive officer, will also be on hand for the press event, set to take place just before noon. The ground-breaking will kick off construction of Exterran’s 65,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in the Salt Springs Road Industrial Park.

The $13.2 million facility, which company officials expect to be completed by the fourth quarter, will fabricate production equipment used to treat or process natural gas and oil once extracted from the ground, and is expected to employ 100 workers. The new plant will be located on 20 acres in the park, on land originally set aside for a proposed expansion by Exal Corp.

Tuesday’s groundbreaking follows today's approval by the Ohio Tax Credit Authority of a 55% tax credit for seven years to Exterran.

Sean Clawges, Exterran’s director of global manufacturing expansion, told the tax authority today that Exterran chose the Youngstown area for its new facility to ensure the rapid, efficient delivery of quality products to clients working in the Utica and Marcellus shale plays and because of the outstanding quality of the local workforce. “The Youngstown facility will allow Exterran to meet existing demand as well as work collaboratively with our valued customers to plan for future needs,” he said.

The positions will pay $23 per hour, exclusive of benefits, Clawges told the tax authority.

Sarah Boyarko, manager for business development with the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, who accompanied Exterran officials to the tax credit authority meeting, said the chamber is “truly excited to have a company of Exterran’s caliber and world-wide experience decide to invest in the Mahoning Valley and create a large number of good-paying jobs.” Boyarko said.

The chamber has worked with Exterran since June 2011 to locate a site that suits the company’s needs while making company officials aware of all available incentives, said Tom Humphries, the chamber’s president and CEO.

“This new economic development success further cements Youngstown-Warren as the North American center for supply chain manufacturing and services for Utica and Marcellus shale development,” Humphries said.