West Virginia Executive Spring 2018 | Page 77

Around the State Energy & Manufacturing Update COMPILED BY SAMANTHA CART TeMa North America Breaks Ground on a $10 Million Plant in Kearneysville TeMa North America recently broke ground on a 42,000- square-foot manufacturing plant in the Burr Business Park in Kearneysville, WV. Headquartered in Italy, parent company TeMa has production systems with plants in Italy, Spain, Turkey, Romania and Russia. While TeMa has sales offices in the U.S., the company is now constructing its first American manufacturing facility in West Virginia. “TeMa chose West Virginia to be the home of its first man- ufacturing plant in this country, and we consider it an honor,” says Governor Jim Justice. “Our message that West Virginia is a good place to do business is reaching around the world. West Virginia has a prime location close to business hubs in the east, a pro-growth business climate and world-quality workers. We look forward to working with TeMa to achieve success for us all.” The $10 million plant will produce insulation and drainage systems for residential, commercial and industrial use. Con- struction is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018. When fully operational, the facility is expected to create 30 new jobs. TeMa is hiring employees as the plant is being built and expects to have all 30 positions filled by the end of Sep- tember 2018. Bluefield State College’s Center for Excellence in Manufacturing Engineering Nears Completion The declining economic opportunities in Southern West Virginia have prompted the need for change. Bluefield State College identified this need and in response applied for a federal POWER grant in an effort to make an impact on the region. WWW.WVEXECUTIVE.COM SPRING 2018 75