Jobs coming to DeZurik building
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Keener had previously owned half of the 186,000-square-foot building but acquired full ownership after buying out Timco, a Mt. Juliet-based company.
“There’s a lot going on at this moment with current customers and a couple other potential customers,” said Keener when asked about possible job projections. “We’re going to start out with a small crew and build it up as we go along.”
Keener currently owns one business which has been operating in Warren County out of the former Cookeville Tool & Die building. That business, called Contract Manufacturing, is in the process of moving equipment to the DeZurik facility, according to its general manager Jim McGaw.
“We will probably be moved in the next 30 days and be operating in the next three or four months,” said McGaw. “Some of our presses, like a 500-ton press, will take several truckloads to move.”
Contract Manufacturing, which does metal stamping, will be joined in the DeZurik building by Industrial Machine, a company which rebuilds heavy duty machinery.
Keener said the Industrial Machine business he operates in Hayden, Ind., is topped out with 48 employees. He said that’s also the limit for the company here. He said Contract Manufacturing has the potential to employ 60 to 80 people in a couple of years.
Keener, a former McMinnville resident, also said he plans to lease out unused portions of the DeZurik building to other companies. “A lot of times people have an idea for something to do and the first thing they need is a place to do it,” said Keener.
While not disclosing specific salaries, McGaw said some jobs as machinists and millwrights will be “very well-paying.”