MOUNT VERNON — Heartland Commerce Park is the fifth location for Airco Corp, a Georgia-based company that specializes in fireproof coatings for industrial steel.
Airco will buy Plant 2 on Greenwood Ave. and the former American National Can site (Shellmar Industrial Park) from the Knox County Land Bank.
Initially leasing the space, Airco decided to buy after doing its due diligence. Operations and Quality Control Director Glenn Shugart said the purchase should go through in the next few weeks.
The company is based in Newnan, GA, but has many Midwest clients. With high transportation costs, it was becoming difficult for Midwest companies to ship the steel to and from Georgia for fireproofing.
Vice President and co-founder Joe Wainscott and Shugart decided it was time to expand.
They made eight or 10 trips to Mount Vernon after their initial visit in July 2023.
“Joe and I visited five different places. After we saw this, we didn’t look at any more,” Shugart said. “It was a struggle, but it has been worth it.”
Several things attracted Airco to HCP, chiefly the 100,000 square feet under roof in Plant 2.
“The big thing is the building is perfect for what we do. We have an assembly-type operation, and the space helps us speed things up,” Shugart said.
“Then it’s the people. Everyone was very friendly and open that they wanted us here. It’s a great opportunity and a great fit.”
Airco has already invested in cleaning up the plant.
“Cleaning up was quite a job. We still have a lot of things we want to do, but we’re getting there. We’re making a lot of progress,” Shugart said.
Crews installed new doors, fixed heaters, and applied more than 2,000 gallons of paint. On tap is paving the parking lot.
The company
Airco has four other locations in addition to HCP. The company employs 400-plus workers across its multiple divisions.
Its market includes electric cars, batteries, and microchip companies. Airco completed two projects for a Kentucky automaker and hopes to start a third in Michigan in the next few weeks.
The company has experienced rapid growth in the past five years.
“Because we’re only one of a few large applicators that do this in the country, it’s rocketed us to the top,” Wainscott said. “We’ve made a name with these general contractors with our work ethic.
“[Midwest companies] said they can’t afford the transportation from Georgia,” he continued. “Ohio was the perfect place for a crossover. It’s close to a fabricator in New York and a large project in New Albany. There is a lot of potential to have growth.”
“Our goal is to have 200-plus employees here,” Shugart said. “It’s not going to happen overnight, but we feel we can get there.”
The Newnan plant employs between 185 and 215 people and is similar in size to the Mount Vernon plant.
Initially Airco will bring in Georgia employees to train local workers.
“Our goal is to hire local and train them, the we’ll move our employees back to Georgia,” Shugart said.
Wainscott said that after local workers are trained, Airco offers opportunities for advancement. Painting roller coasters, wastewater treatment plants, and bridges are potential projects.
Additionally, Airco does a lot of projects with the government and on military bases.
“There is a lot of room for growth in the field,” Wainscott said.
What does Airco do?
Federal mandates require that the steel in structures higher than two stories be protected so people can escape.
Airco sprays on a fire-protection material (intumescent coating) that protects the steel. The epoxy expands and buys time for people to get out of the building and get to safety.
Wainscott said without the coating, occupants have about a 30-minute window to escape. With the fireproofing, that window expands to several hours.
Steel fabricators ship the steel to Mount Vernon. Airco workers sandblast the steel so the fireproofing will stick and then apply the fireproofing.
Applications can be from 50 to 500 mil (½ inch) thick. Thicker applications require several coats.
Airco applies the fireproof material using an assembly-line approach, which Wainscott said saves a lot of time.
“Other companies do 20 to 30 loads a week. We do 107 semi-loads with our production style,” he said. “We’re doing a large number because for the mega projects, time is important; we save them tens of millions of dollars in getting the buildings up faster.”
Shugart said 20 quality control employees check every square inch of the beam after crews apply the fireproofing, including on each coat.
Health and safety
“We operate a safe environment; safety is first and foremost in our minds,” Shugart said.
“We care about the community. We have everybody’s interest at heart. We want everybody to love us,” Wainscott added.
The company does not use silica in its sandblasting. It uses a mineral product that contains less than .1% of pure silica.
The company is coordinating with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, and all permits are in order.
“Anybody that wants to come by or has concerns, we’re happy to talk with them,” Shugart said.
“Our goal is to start doing all of the sandblasting inside where we can recapture the steel grit. We’re close to getting the building ready. We don’t plan on doing sandblasting outside if we can help it.”
For more information on the products Airco uses, contact the Area Development Foundation at 740-393-3806 or email julia@knoxadf.com.
A welcome addition
Airco joins Knox Area Transit, The Ohio Mint, American Isostatic Presses, and Markt Solutions as HCP tenants.
When the land bank first acquired the former Siemens property, land bank and development officials developed a vision for the property.
The goals were to avoid one company taking over the entire complex, diversify among manufacturing types, and attract companies from outside the city.
“The community feels a connection to the campus, and we want to find companies that have that connection, too,” said Jeff Gottke, land bank and ADF president.
He said Airco joining the Heartland campus brings more than income taxes to the community; it brings quality of life.
“One of the things I like a lot about this company is being part of the community,” he said. “The community aspect of Joe, Glenn, and their company is an important aspect.”
Mount Vernon Mayor Matt Starr agreed.
“It’s more than economic development. These guys have been spending time talking with the neighbors.”
Bill Lawhon, a Cooper Park Development Co. board member, noted that in the past, industry and manufacturing allowed many residents to keep working their farms.
“When we lost our manufacturing base, we lost a lot,” he said. “We’re just as excited as we can be to have Airco here.”
The development company oversees HCP operations. It is currently under the oversight of the land bank.
Mark Patton of One Columbus agreed that the transportation opportunities and population of Mount Vernon are attractive to companies.
“It’s really fun to see a place that has been here since 1890 being used. Having done a few of these projects, I think the greatest part is the jobs and families,” he said.
The immediate future
Airco hopes to start hiring in four or five weeks. The company is working with Opportunity Knox/Ohio Means Jobs on the hiring process.
Wainscott is excited about the economic benefit to the community. Airco plans to hire everything local, from electricians to asphalt companies to trash haulers.
“More money will be spent throughout the county than is spent on payroll,” he said.
Future plans include using the ANC site to build a mobile facility that Airco can take to other job sites. For now, the company will use the land to store its steel beams.
The Knox County Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting on May 15. The community is invited to attend.
“Joe’s enthusiasm is infectious, and I think we caught that,” Commissioner and Land Bank Chair Teresa Bemiller said. “We like that Airco is family owned and growth-oriented.”
Land bank members were excited Airco was interested in the American National Can property.
“The CPDC and land bank are truly excited they chose to be here. We’re also excited they chose to invest in an existing building,” Bemiller said.
