- Metal fabrication company to invest nearly $5 million in expansion, create more than 140 new jobs in Puryear, Tennessee
Puryear, Tenn.– Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and Columbiad Fabrication and Aviation, officials today announced the company will invest $4.8 million to expand its manufacturing operations in Henry County.
Through this expansion, Columbiad will create 144 new jobs over the next five years. Columbiad Fabrication is located on Hwy. 641 in Puryear.
Rolfe, Henry County Mayor John Penn Ridgeway and Columbiad co-owner Jason Gordon spoke before a packed house of state, county and local officials at the company’s headquarters.
Rolfe called the Columbiad story “one of the great Tennessee entrepreneur success stories”. Columbiad, he said, “started in a garage and five years later, here we are. They have 45-50 employees and they’re ready to add another 144 jobs.”
Columbiad is to be credited for “the quality of job opportunities and the quality of family wages. And it’s an opportunity for rural Tennessee to have its day in the sun.”
Ridgeway said the owners of Columbiad “have been working their tails off, giving 110 percent. They care about this community. They started in a garage and look where we are now.”
They couldn’t have done it without Governor Bill Lee, the state of Tennessee, the Paris-Henry County Industrial Committee’s Rob Goad and Tara Wilson, BPU and the county commissioners and city of Paris, he said. Ridgeway also thanked State Rep. Tandy Darby and State Rep. Jay Reedy, who he noted “aren’t even our representatives yet, but they’s already been helping us.”
Ridgeway said, “This is for Henry County, but it’s really for all of West Tennessee.”
Ridgeway also thanked his mentors, both of whom were in attendance: his father, former State Rep. Don Ridgeway and former Henry County Mayor Brent Greer. “Brent’s vision and leadership in Henry County was unmatched,” he said.
Also in attendance were Carroll County Mayor Joseph Butler and Weakley County Mayor Jake Bynum, along with State Senator John Stevens, Henry Mayor Dustin Odom, and BPU, Henry County and city of Paris officials.
Co-owner Gordon talked of the company’s humble beginnings and said, “We started to grow and grow fast. But we couldn’t have done it without all of you guys. And we plan to do big things here.”
Columbiad is relocating its existing operations from Paris to Puryear. The new facility, which has housed Columbiad’s welding operations over the past year, will allow all the company’s operations to be located under one roof, improving production flow and providing additional space for expected growth.
Founded in Paris, Tennessee, Columbiad specializes in precision metal fabrication. The company’s full-fabrication welding team can cut, form and weld parts to send its customers a completed assembly.
Hiring for Columbiad’s new Puryear operations will begin in the first quarter of 2022. Those interested in applying for a position with Columbiad can visit columbiadsolutions.com for additional information.
In the last five years, TNECD has supported more than 40 economic development projects in Northwest Tennessee resulting in 6,500 job commitments and approximately $1.5 billion in capital investment.
Rolfe said, “Tennessee’s geographic location, affordable cost of doing business and competitive wages make our state an ideal place for manufacturing companies to locate and grow. We appreciate Columbiad for its $4.8 million investment in Henry County and for its continued partnership with our state.”
Photo: County Mayor John Penn Ridgeway speaks, while Jason Gordon and Bob Rolfe listen. (Shannon McFarlin photo).