Westerman Readies for Expansion
As printed in the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette Wednesday, April 5, 2006

By TAMARIA L. KULEMEKA
The Eagle-Gazette Staff

BREMEN - Bremen's largest employer is taking its company to the next level. The Westerman Co. recently completed a 15,000-square-foot expansion, which will mean hiring more employees.

On Tuesday, the company announced it will invest $1.5 million into more construction - this time of a 29,000-square-foot facility at the Bremen site. The facility will increase the company's revenues - domestically and internationally - for products it manufactures for the nuclear industry. The company also plans to invest $500,000 in new equipment and hire 25 production employees over the next three years.

Village and county officials approved a 10-year, 75 percent Enterprise Zone tax exemption on the 29,000-square-foot building, which helped keep the project local versus constructing the facility at the company's Wooster site.

The expansion not only benefits the company, but provides viability for the village, said Fairfield County Economic Development Director David Zak.

"The health, growth and success of Westerman's is bound to the community," Zak said. "When a company succeeds, that will help the village succeed long-term."

ABOUT THE COMPANY
The Westerman Co. is one of the leading suppliers of the oil and gas and nuclear industries. The company was founded in Bremen in 1909.

The company makes oil and gas well head equipment, industrial tanks and pressure vessels, marine hoists, storage and transportation cylinders for the nuclear industry and more.

The company's 15,000-square-foot expansion will extend its capabilities for well head equipment for the oil and gas industry.

The company has 107 employees at its Bremen headquarters and 35 employees at its Wooster facility. Staying in business for nearly 100 years is a result of the company's leadership and employees, said Terry McGhee, president of the company.

NEW VENTURE
The 29,000-square-foot expansion - slated to be completed in October - would serve the company's manufactured metal products division. The project is expected to generate $300,000 in new tax revenue for the county over the next 15 years.

"The amount of taxes to be generated are four times the amount of the tax exemption," Zak said. "That's a good return on investment."

The Fairfield County Business Resource Council contacted Westerman's in January as part of its Fairfield Fortune 1000 initiative. The council's goal is to talk to 1,000 businesses throughout the county and offer resources to companies that are considering hiring, investing, training or expanding.

Fairfield County and Bremen officials worked for several weeks to make sure the project stayed local - proving successful in the end.

"Bremen has always been our home, and we are glad that the assistance we are receiving for this project made it an easy decision for my board and me to do the project in Bremen and not in Wooster," McGhee said. "We hope to continue to grow here."

The company's two expansions speak of the good things happening in Bremen, said Mayor Dave Ray.

"In general, we're just overly pleased with the amount of industry that Bremen is blessed with," Ray said. "And anything we can do to aid in the expansion of those industries, we'll do our best. The village council is 100 percent behind it."