Manufacturer signs on at PIC West

Industrial washer parts manufacturer JRI Holdings Inc. broke ground this morning on a 66,000-square-foot plant in Partnership Industrial Center West.

At the facility, the parent company of JRI Industries and Jensen Fabricating Engineers Inc. plans to invest $5.6 million consolidating two local operations in east Springfield to PIC West by early 2017, according to a news release from the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

JRI President Jim Jones said the new plant location would be more convenient for its clientele, which includes Fortune 500 companies and smaller privately owned businesses.

“When these customers visit us, the new location will allow easier access to and from the airport and hotel facilities,” he said in the release.

At the southwest corner of Division Street and Alliance Avenue, JRI plans to lease the building from general contractor Rich Kramer Construction. Represented by R.B. Murray Co., the contractor bought the 11-acre property in late June. The planned facility is roughly 2 miles from Springfield-Branson National Airport and about 3.5 miles from Interstate 44.

JRI, a Springfield-based company founded in 1993, plans to add 13 full-time employees to its local workforce of 73, according to the release.

The company is utilizing local and state tax incentives with help from the city of Springfield, City Utilities and the chamber.