The Washington County Economic Development Council along with JD Squared officials announced the expansion of JD Squared’s facilities in Johnson City, TN. The expansion represents a $6.5 million investment and the creation of an estimated 50 new jobs over the next 5 years.
The expansion includes the purchase of the former Douglas Dynamics building, a 192,000-square-foot manufacturing facility located on Riverview Road. The company has also invested in new equipment in order to start the manufacturing of their new product line of plasma cutters that are used to cut large pieces of steel.
“We are very excited about moving into a larger facility that will accommodate our expanding product line. We hope to be in the new facility by the summer of 2015. We will be moving our present employees to that facility as well as looking for new ones as soon as the new product line is up and running,” said Kim Hughes, Vice President at JD Squared.
The expansion represents a cooperative effort between the private sector and the city, county, and state. “JD Squared’s expansion highlights our focus on economic development and confirms the importance of keeping job creation a priority. We are excited about the economic impact that these new jobs will have on our region,” said Mayor Ralph Van Brocklin.
“We are striving to build momentum in economic development and JD Squared’s growth showcases that. We congratulate JD Squared on their continued growth. This announcement signifies the culmination of months of work by our team at WCEDC in collaboration with our local governments,” said WCEDC Chairman, Joe Grandy.
The Johnson City Power Board works in conjunction with the TVA in order to create programs that assist new and existing manufacturers grow their business.
“TVA applauds JD Squared on its plans to expand operations and create new jobs in Johnson City,” said TVA Senior Vice President of Economic Development John Bradley.
“JCPB is excited to see local companies like JD Squared expand their operations,” said JCPB CEO, Jeff Dykes.
JD Squared is a manufacturer of tube and pipe bending machines. The company is family-owned and moved its manufacturing facility from Florida to Johnson City, TN in 2007. JD Squared’s mission is to deliver affordable products at the highest quality. JD Squared is proud to be founded on the American dream of succeeding through hard work and dedication to customers, employees and high quality manufacturing. More information about JD Squared can be found online at www.JD2.com.
The mission of the Washington County Economic Development Council is to enhance job growth and increase the tax base of Washington County by engaging the community and business leaders through nurturing existing businesses and actively recruiting new industries and commerce
