Media & news
Wiregrass Electric Cooperative and partners hold ground breaking for new spec building
Aug 11, 2020
“Today could change Geneva for the better for a long time,” said Brad Kimbro, Wiregrass Electric Cooperative Chief Operating Officer.
Opportunity lies ahead as the ground is officially broken for the 45,000-square-foot manufacturing facility that will sit at the Geneva County Industrial Park.
“We hope that a large business comes and looks at this property and sees potential here and will create their business here which will bring jobs here,” Kimbro said.
Potential industries have the option to double the size of their building on 400 acres of land that’s been made available.
“400 acres will allow interest from a lot of companies and we think this will create a lot of jobs for this area and we are just proud of it,” Kimbro said.
This is not very common for this area, which could motivate business inquiries.
“The economic developers are telling me that this site would be one of the few to have that many acres that available to them in really Alabama and certainly south of Birmingham in Alabama,” Kimbro said.
Probate Judge and Commission Chairman, Toby Seay, said this now gives a product to market to businesses.
“A weaknesses we identified in strategic planning processes was lack of available buildings and today we are turning that weakness into a strength,” Chairman Seay said.
With the mission of a business settling at this property and bringing jobs to the area, WEC and their partners begin the building process with hopes a business will be interested soon after completion.
“If we don’t invest in ourselves then how will we expect for anyone to invest in us,” Chairman Seay said.
The Hartford facility will be the 23rd project funded through the PowerSouth’s Business Development loan program. PowerSouth will fund 50 percent of the building’s cost while WEC will fund 25 percent of the cost. Community interests will pay the remainder of the funds.
The completion date of the spec building is expected to be February of 2021.
Original story: https://www.wtvy.com/2020/08/10/wiregrass-electric-cooperative-and-partners-hold-ground-breaking-for-new-spec-building/
Other coverage:
Geneva County leaders celebrate new manufacturing facility