California company bringing headquarters, 210 jobs to Business Depot Ogden

Brice Wallace 

A California-based company will move to Ogden and create 210 jobs over the next decade.

Precision Hermetic Technology Inc.’s operations in Redlands, California, will move to Business Depot Ogden, where the company will manufacture interconnection products for a variety of industries, including the aerospace and defense sectors.

The $19.7 million project will be aided by a state tax credit incentive.

Founded in 1989 by Daniel Schachtel, the company said the move “positions PHT for significant growth, with a larger manufacturing space enabling new product lines and added capabilities.”

The company added that the area’s attractive attributes include Utah’s business-friendly environment and Ogden’s skilled workforce in aerospace and defense.

“More than just business, the move brings PHT closer to the owners, who have fostered a personal connection to the state over 20 years of family visits. PHT remains dedicated to its customers and employees, and this relocation promises a bright future,” the company said.

At the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity board meeting in which the incentive was approved, Schachtel noted that the company’s products are used in commercial aircraft fire extinguishers, igniters for rocket motors “and kind of everything in-between there,” and in medical devices.

In California, the company has a total of 53,000 square feet in two buildings but the company will use 80,000 square feet in a leased building in Ogden.

“We’re planning on bringing some additional products to market that needed us to get some more space. … We’re just very excited about being in Utah. Ogden, of course, is becoming more and more a defense hub, so it’s a very good place to be from that perspective also,” Schachtel said.

The company should have some business activity underway in Ogden by year-end, have about 70 employees there through 2025 “and then a lot of growth from that point,” he said.

The GOEO board approved a tax credit incentive for the project of up to about $2 million. New wages are expected to total nearly $88.6 million over 10 years, and new state tax revenue is projected to be about $8 million during that time. The new jobs will pay an average of $69,500, according to GOEO documents, but Schachtel said they likely will pay more.

“Their advanced manufacturing capabilities will just further strengthen the aerospace and defense industry that’s already so robust in Northern Utah,” Sara Meess, Ogden City’s business development division manager, told the GOEO board. “There are a lot of very-high-quality jobs that will be created as a result of this project, and we feel that those jobs align really well with the education and training programs that exist in our community, both at Weber State [University] and Ogden-Weber Tech College.”

Daniel Royal, GOEO business development director, described PHT as “a very cool company — definitely the type of company that we want to grow here in Utah.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Precision Hermetic Technology’s expansion to Utah,” Ryan Starks, GOEO executive director, said in a prepared statement. “Utah is home to thriving aerospace, defense and manufacturing industries that demand high-quality, reliable components for advanced systems. Our state will benefit greatly from the company contributing to these industries, job creation and the state’s economy.”

“Utah’s business-friendly environment and robust aerospace and defense industry continue to attract new companies at all points in the manufacturing supply chain,” said Scott Cuthbertson, president and CEO of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCUtah). “Precision Hermetics Technology plans to convert vacant office space into a manufacturing facility, and we look forward to seeing the improvements and innovation they’ll bring to Utah’s business community.”

Ogden Mayor Ben Nadolski said the company will create high-quality jobs for Ogden residents and further strengthen Northern Utah’s aerospace and defense industry. “We are grateful to the 47G UAMMI Institute for introducing PHT to Ogden, and to EDCUtah and GOEO for supporting this important project,” Nadolski said.

GOEO does not provide upfront cash incentives. Each year that an incentivized company meets the obligations in its contract with the state, it will qualify to receive a portion of the new, additional state taxes the company paid to the state.