Rendering of new Enerpac facility in Columbus
Construction of this 167,100-square-foot manufacturing plant for Enerpac is underway in Columbus. The facility, which will replace a smaller plant in the city, is scheduled for completion by the end of the year.


The transformation of 180 acres is under way in Columbus that will help a local company expand and bring more development to the city’s southwest side.

Enerpac, one of the city’s largest employers, and Zilber, a development company, broke ground this week on a $17 million, 167,100-square-foot manufacturing facility that will be next to the Highway 73 off-ramp and visible to the 20,000 motorists who travel daily on Highway 151.

City officials say Enerpac and its 200 employees will become the anchor of the Gateway Business Park, which could someday also be home to other manufacturers, retail, a hotel, senior housing, parkland and a park-and-ride lot.

"It’s going to mean an incredible opportunity to grow the city of Columbus," said Steve Sobiek, the city’s economic development director. "In order to compete from an economic development and a job creation standpoint ... we have to compete in a regional and a global economy and that means growing the population of Columbus while at the same time offering good, well-paying jobs."

The city has received a $591,567 grant from the state Department of Transportation and is investing an additional $1.2 million to add two streets, water and sewer and other improvements to the industrial park.

The city spent $560,000 to buy 28 acres for the Enerpac project before selling the land to Enerpac for $280,000, Sobiek said.

Enerpac, a manufacturer of hydraulic high-force tools and equipment used in industrial markets, has been located for more than 50 years in a 135,000-square-foot leased facility at 720 W. James St.

The new facility, scheduled for completion by the end of the year, will also be leased but allow for continued growth with room for a 105,000-square-foot addition.

WSJ article of 5/15/13