Company planning $200 million investment in Anderson | Local News
ANDERSON — An Oregon-based company planning to open a manufacturing facility in Anderson explained the project to local residents.
Malarkey Roofing is a manufacturer of high-quality roofing shingles. Company officials met with area residents Thursday at Ivy Tech Community College to provide details on the project.
The company has locations in Portland, Oregon; California, Oklahoma City and in Maryland.
The company is seeking a voluntary annexation into the City of Anderson for 157 acres located along Ind. 109 and extending west past the rail line.
The Anderson City Council will hold a public hearing on the voluntary annexation at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
Dale Rushing, president of the company, said the intention is to invest more than $200 million in Anderson and create up to 200 jobs.
The company plans to build a 300,000-square-foot facility to house two production lines.
It hopes to get approval from the Indiana Department of Transportation for two entrances along Ind. 109 and hopes to close County Road 100 East from the Menards store to just north of Alliance Road.
Greg Winkler, executive director of the Anderson Economic Development Department, said the city is looking to redesign 67th Street to handle an expected increase in traffic.
Entry level jobs will pay $20 per hour with a company-matched retirement program and a health care program. Mid-level jobs will pay up to $60 per hour and management positions will pay $100 per hour.
Winkler said construction is expected to start this summer and will take two years.
“We want to support the community and want to be where people want us to be,” Rushing said. “We wanted an Indiana location to reach new markets. Indiana is a strategy for us to grow.
“We looked at a lot of potential sites,” he added. “We made the decision to be in Indiana.”
Company officials said they picked Anderson because of its proximity to a major interstate highway and a rail line.
Anderson also provides access to renewable energy, the necessary raw materials and an available labor force, they said.
Rushing said the Anderson plant will be similar to the company’s operation in Oklahoma City, which is located within a half-mile of two schools and within a mile of a housing development.
He said there will be no odor or emissions from the plant.
Winkler said he visited the Oklahoma City plant and that there was no smell outside of the plant.
“Their (manufacturing) process will not be a problem in our community,” he said.
The plan is to build a rail spur for the delivery of raw materials to the south of the property. Officials expect the facility to host 100 semi-trailers on a daily basis.
Company officials plan to hire local contractors during construction and hire employees from the community.
Follow Ken de la Bastide on Twitter @KendelaBastide, or call 765-640-4863.
