An Arkansas-based metal manufacturing company has opened a plant in Tooele, its westernmost location and eventually home to 90 jobs.
Central States Inc.’s 100,000-square-foot facility in the Peterson Industrial Depot is the company’s 13th location and will serve the western half of the U.S. It will produce panels, purlin, trim and the Alpha Framing System. When the project was approved for a state incentive two years ago, documents indicated the facility represented a $25 million investment by the company.
“This facility is more than just a building. It’s a symbol of our commitment to growth, innovation, and the power of employee ownership,” said Jim Sliker, CEO of Central States. “We’re proud to be investing in Tooele and excited to welcome new employee-owners into our family.”
Founded in 1988, Central States is entirely employee-owned. With more than 1,400 employee-owners, the company serves more than 6,000 commercial, architectural, post-frame and residential contractors and distributors across the U.S. across three business operating units.
One unit, Central States Manufacturing, produces metal building components with 15 metal roofing and wall panel profiles and a line of trim, accessories and structural purlin. Another unit, Central States Building Works, provides material-only building packages for self-storage and pre-engineered metal buildings. In 2023, Central States acquired Elevate Structures (formerly Storage Structures Inc.), a construction company focusing on mid-rise multi-story buildings and offering the proprietary Alpha Framing System.
The company said the Tooele expansion will support Central States’ fast-growing pre-engineered metal building (PEMB) business, as well as its roofing and siding, post-frame, self-storage, living spaces and metal components operations. It will manufacture a variety of residential and commercial roof and wall panels in a variety of gauges, a wide selection of accompanying trim, and structural purlin. It also will produce the Alpha Framing System, a proprietary framing system that is faster to install than traditional framing methods and is offered exclusively through Elevate Structures.
The Tooele plant opening marks the first time that Central States has opened two new manufacturing sites in the same year. In August, the company launched a Springdale, Arkansas, frame and structural steel plant under its Central States Building Works business.
“Opening our 13th plant — and our second new facility this year — is a testament to the strength of our team and the trust our customers place in us,” said Doug Watts, president of Central States Manufacturing.
A recent ribbon-cutting ceremony in Tooele featured remarks from Tooele Mayor Debbie Winn and Ryan Starks, executive director of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah.
“EDCUtah was pleased to support Central States Manufacturing during their site selection process, and we’re grateful for the chance to celebrate this important milestone alongside them,” Starks said. “The jobs created here will deliver tremendous benefits to residents of Tooele and the surrounding communities.”
In June 2023, Central States Manufacturing was approved for a tax credit incentive of up to $1.3 million by the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity board for the Tooele project. GOEO documents indicated that the project is expected to produce new total wages of nearly $25 million over five years and new state tax revenue of more than $5.1 million during that time. The average wage for the new jobs was projected to be $57,912.