Vertiv, a longtime Ohio-based digital manufacturing company, is planning major expansions at its facility in Ironton, located in Lawrence County. The company announced about $50 million for the project in Ironton, as well as another expansion at the company's headquarters in Westerville, according to a Vertiv press release.
Vertiv’s presence in Ironton is not new. The company has been nestled in Ohio for over 60 years, initially being founded as Liebert Corporation, and has been present in Ironton for 25 years. Now, the company has 14 facilities across the entire state.
“The expansion to the current Ironton facility will increase the manufacturing footprint and include upgrades to equipment and machinery,” Chayton Hemsey, senior account executive with Vertiv, wrote in an email. “It will add production space and expand capacity by roughly 45% to support higher output of advanced cooling technologies.”
Ironton Mayor Sam Cramblit expressed excitement about the revenue and economic growth the expansion will have on the area, especially given recent pushes aimed at removing certain revenue streams, such as property taxes.
“It will be a huge impact for the city moving forward from revenues,” Cramblit said. “Income tax coming in from that ... will help offset any expenses that might have been incurred by the taxpayers here locally already.”
Vertiv partnered with the Ohio Department of Development, JobsOhio, Ohio Southeast Economic Development and the Columbus Partnership for the project. The business received a $1 million grant from JobsOhio for the Westerville campus, a $3 million JobsOhio grant for the facility in Ironton and Job Creation Tax Credits from the Ohio Department of Development.
Hemsey said those partnerships provided “critical support” that brought the project to life, and will help Vertiv to scale its hiring and enable alignment with broader statewide economic development priorities.
Cramblit commented on why Ironton was chosen for the site of the new facility.
“I think it was a multi-faceted approach,” Cramblit said. “There were many factors I believe weighed in that helped decide that, and one being that they could start production now and a ramp-up facility close by while they construct their final facility for the expansion.”
According to the Vertiv press release, the expansion is expected to be operational in 2027. It will increase production of liquid cooling and chilled water systems that are used in advanced thermal management applications necessary for artificial intelligence.
The expansion in Ironton is expected to provide about 520 new jobs, according to the Ohio Department of Development. Those jobs are expected to include mechanical, electrical, assembly, quality, production maintenance and supervisory positions.
Cramblit said people in the area have been begging for more jobs, and says the expansion in Ironton will do just that. He mentioned the exodus of industry in the Appalachian region, citing the coal industry, and said Vertiv will bring back jobs and opportunities.
“I think it reaches far greater than just our community; it expands opportunities for many people in our area to have quality jobs available for them here,” Cramblit said. “... We're a tri-state area of nearly 400,000 people, so even though we are very rural, still on our own, we do have a large area that will benefit from this, and when the whole area is doing well, I feel like everyone, all the communities, thrive as well.”
Bill Dingus, executive director of the Lawrence Economic Development Corporation, said the community reactions to the announcement have almost entirely been positive.
“They're a good partner,” Dingus said. “Their buildings are air-conditioned for their employees; it's one of the few manufacturing firms you would find that's fully air-conditioned. They really care about their employees, and they care about the communities and there has never been one concern about Vertiv being a strong part of this community.”
Hemsey said one of the reasons the site at Ironton was selected for the expansion was due to the close partnership and relationship with the community.
“Ironton was selected because of our long-standing presence and proven success in the region … the decision to expand in Ironton reflects our confidence in the strength and reliability of the local workforce, the region’s deep manufacturing heritage and the continued support of the community, all of which make Ironton an ideal location for ongoing growth,” Hemsey wrote in an email.
Gov. Mike DeWine reinforced his commitment to growing the workforce in Ohio, and how Vertiv displays that.
“Vertiv’s growth here is a testament to Ohio’s integral role in the technology industry,” DeWine said in a statement. “Ohio has the best workforce in the nation, and we are proud that Ohioans will be on the leading edge of Vertiv’s work to establish and strengthen the AI supply chain.”
The Ironton facility is going to produce “air and liquid-based cooling systems, chilled water systems (small and large) and thermal management technologies for AI and high-density applications,” Hemsey said.
Cramblit discussed the impact the workforce growth and investment will have on the local community, and how it makes him feel as a mayor.
“This is the biggest impact our community will see in decades, and that it's nothing but positive for us to have Vertiv choose us as their expansion site,” Cramblit said. “And as a mayor it's, it's like a dream come true to see this kind of job growth come to our city and know that it's going to impact people's lives in such a positive way for generations.”
