Construction products company bringing $66M plant, 75 jobs to Tooele

Brice Wallace
Business Journal

A Michigan-based designer and manufacturer of products for the construction industry will build a plant in Tooele County. The nearly $66 million project is expected to result in 75 new high-paying jobs over 11 years.

UFP Site Built LLC will build in two phases a plant in Grantsville that will have over 120,000 square feet of manufacturing space, according to Mike Ellerbrook, the company’s executive vice president.

“Salt Lake’s always been on our list. A great city,” Ellerbrook told the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity board during its February meeting in which the company was awarded a tax credit incentive for the project. “It’s going to be a great plant.”

UFP Site Built is a subsidiary of UFP Industries Inc. and produces structural components for the construction industry. The prefabricated products include roof trusses and floor trusses, wall panels, wood structural components, aluminum decks and rails, and light gauge steel structural components. The company has 25 manufacturing facilities across the country and serves homebuilders, general contractors and developers.

Founded in 1955, UFP Industries has been publicly traded since 1993 and has affiliates in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Its worldwide operations serve three markets: retail, packaging and construction.

In a news release about the project, Ellerbrook said that Utah’s booming population “requires innovative solutions to keep housing both available and affordable” and the project will strengthen the company’s ability to provide high-quality structural components that support the construction of single-family homes, multifamily housing and commercial developments across the state.

Speaking to the GOEO board, Ellerbrook said the company has been operating at a temporary location in the Peterson Industrial Depot in Tooele.

“It’ll be our most automated and most highly technical plant that we have in the company,” he said of the Grantsville plant. “We’ll put a lot of robotics into the plant to help us build more efficiently and quicker. … Salt Lake has been on our target list for a long time and it’s really, really good to see that come to fruition.”

The board approved a Rural Economic Development Tax Increment Financing (REDTIF) program incentive for up to $564,165 over 11 years. Total wages for the new jobs are projected to be $32.8 million during that time, and new state tax revenue is expected to total over $2.8 million. The average wage for the new jobs will be $59,898.

“We’re so excited to have UFP come to city and be part of this project,” Grantsville Mayor Neil Critchlow told the board. “It’s going to be a great addition to our city and to our county and to our state.”

“We’re thrilled to have UFP come into Tooele County,” added Jared Hamner, a member of the Tooele County Council. He told Ellerbrook that “I don’t think you’ll be disappointed” with the Tooele County workforce. “You’ll be overly excited on who you’re getting here,” he said.

“Access to high-quality building materials is essential for creating more affordable and reliable housing for Utahns,” Ryan Starks, GOEO’s executive director, said in a prepared statement. “This expansion supports our state’s economic priorities by strengthening the supply chain, creating quality jobs, and investing in rural communities. We welcome industry leaders like UFP who help drive smart growth and keep Utah a great place to live and work.”

Scott Cuthbertson, president of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah, said UFP will find in Utah “a surging construction market ready to benefit from its products.”

“UFP’s industry expertise will address supply shortages and support home builders across the Beehive State, and its investment in Tooele County will create new jobs and accelerate economic growth in the region,” he said.

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