Viega Manufacturing, a family-owned international manufacturer that develops plumbing and HVAC solutions, officially opened the doors to its newest facility by holding a grand opening at the Turnpike Commerce Center last Thursday morning at 4400 Beck Road in Mantua.
“We are very proud that they have selected this location out of all of the others they had to choose from,” Mantua-Shalersville Area Chamber of Commerce President Randy Ellis told The Weekly Villager. “Obviously, they have recognized the potential for their workforce and their location and how convenient it is with everywhere they need to be for their other North American locations as well.”
It culminated the end of a 2½ year project that involved the Shalersville Township Board of Trustees forming a joint economic development plan with Streetsboro in aligning everything so Viega would have the necessary land to build a new manufacturing site, which includes 475 acres of unused farmland.
According to Ohio Plant Manager Emily Pajek, the facility has already shipped its first product and has also installed a second production line. In one week, Viega will also have a second shift of workers and will soon have two shipping lines working simultaneously in the coming months.
Viega invited several guest speakers to the official opening of its newest manufacturing facility. The list of speakers included high-ranking Viega executives, including Viega Group Chief Executive Officer Markus Brettschneider and Viega North American Chief Executive Officer Marki Huston as well as some prominent government and Portage County officials.
Brettschneider spoke about how the State of Ohio perfectly aligned with Viega’s core values in their search for a new location for a manufacturing facility in North America.
“We made the right choice because we realized how supportive the State of Ohio was,” he said.
Brettschneider added the most important thing in what appealed to Viega about building a manufacturing facility in Ohio was how their potential new employees strongly believed in the ecnomic growth of the United States.
Some of the government officials in attendance were the Regional Director from the office of Senator Jon Husted, Ohio State Representatives Heidi Workman and River Kale,and a representative from the office of Congressman Dave Joyce.
Hastings presented a proclamation on behalf of Husted congratulating Viega on its newest facility, Kale produced a proclamation on behalf of Joyce commemorating Viega’s historic day and Workman presented proclamations from the Ohio Senate and also the House of Representatives, each paying tribute to Viega.
“We are definitely excited to have Viega not only in Ohio but also in Portage County,” Workman said.
Shalersville Township Trustee Frank Ruehr, Jr. offered some remarks, including how the township came to strike a partnership with Viega.
“We knew economics would play a big part in the development of this property,” he said.
He added how the township joined efforts with Streetsboro in finding a suitable patch of unused land, as Shalersviille was exactly what Viega was looking for as far as access to transportation, a trained labor force and community support.
Team Northeast Ohio Chief Executive Officer Matt Dolan also offered a few remarks, including how trust became a vital component in ensuring Viega created its newest manufacturing plant in a small community like Mantua.
Geis Companies Construction President Bob Fridrich reiterated Dolan’s emphasis on trust and collaboration.
Portage Development Board Brad Ehrhart spoke of how Geis Companies seized the opportunity to develop the unused land off of the Ohio Turnpike to bring a national corporation like Viega to the doorstep of Mantua and Shalersville and how there was a collaboration between several local agencies such as Maplewood Career Center, Kent State University, Portage County OhioMeansJobs and the Sixth District Compact that aligned with Viega’s emphasis on workforce development.
Huston was the final speaker, and she spoke of the immediate impact that the facility will have on Mantua, only the second Viega manufacturing site in North America.
“It is about our commitment to the consumers, entire community and our long-term future,” she added.
In only two years, the facility will create 68 new jobs in Mantua and also strengthen the community’s commitment to its customers. Huston noted that the facility is on track to earn a lead certification by the end of the year.
Pajek then held an unveiling in the main lobby, revealing a piece of artwork that was designed by visual artist Michael Murphy.
Murphy’s sculpture was a three-dimensional display that was made entirely of metal pipes. If anyone looked at the display from the right side, they would see the pipes resembled the map of the United States, a view from the front would reveal the name Viega spelled out, and if someone looked at the display from the left side, the pipes would form a three-dimensional map of the State of Ohio.
In the final stage of Viega’s grand opening, it offered two separate tours of the manufacturing floor, which gave individuals a sense of what daily manufacturing operations looked like.
