RELATED: Emerson planning $73M+ in world HQ expansion near Dayton
Here’s what to know right now:
1. The planned expansion is significant.
According to the Dayton-Montgomery County Port Authority, construction on the first phase of the expansion will begin this quarter — the second quarter of 2017 — with estimated total costs of $40,061,000. Construction on the next phase is anticipated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2019, with estimated total costs of $33,400,000.
As far as size goes, that expansion rivals the University of Dayton's planned remaking of its fabled arena.
RELATED: Emerson opens 'Helix' center on UD campus
2. New lab and office space are on the drawing board
According to Port Authority documents, the company is planning a new approximately 20,000-square-foot office addition on the west side of an existing building that will include a new lobby and offices. There will also be a new employee entrance.
Emerson also plans to build about 97,000 square feet of new engineering laboratories within an existing facility, which will enable testing of refrigerant.
Also: The company is considering remodeling and building 172,000 square feet of first-floor office and vacated and demolished lab space, along with remodeling 45,000 square feet of existing second-floor office space, according to Port Authority plans.
The plans also call for a remodeled cafeteria with more natural light overlooking a new courtyard patio and green area created from a demolished AC engineering building, according to plans.
3. However, the expansion is not certain.
Right now, company officials are not saying much, and the project still depends on the granting of state and local incentives, according Jerry Brunswick, executive director of the Port Authority. He said the Port Authority has worked with the Dayton Development Coalition and JobsOhio on the project.
Still, Port Authority trustees Monday approved a capital lease financing agreement with Emerson to help the company avoid sales taxes in the purchasing of material for the construction work.
“Emerson is committed to continuing to invest in the operations for its compressor business in Sidney, Ohio and all over the world,” the company said in a brief email statement. “The company is constantly evaluating options to maintain a world class engineering and manufacturing footprint on a global basis to best serve our customers. This evaluation is ongoing but nothing has been finalized and Emerson has no announcement to make at this time.”
4. Based in Sidney, Emerson’s leaders value a strong connection to Dayton
The company and its 1,600 employees make climate control equipment and parts in Sidney, where the company’s Climate Technologies arm has its world headquarters
Brent Schroeder, Emerson Climate Technologies group leader, heating and air conditioning, told this news outlet in a recent interview that many of the company’s managers are UD graduates. And of course, last year, the company opened a $35 million research center on West Stewart Street, on UD’s campus, called “the Helix.”
5. The company’s history is local
The history of Emerson in Sidney goes back to the mid-1930s, and the moving of Copeland Corp. to Shelby County from Detroit. The refrigeration company was acquired by Emerson Electric in 1986 and eventually became Emerson Climate Technologies.
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