CSS Composites plans Richfield expansion

A composites manufacturing company will expand in Richfield, bringing up to 50 jobs, including 30 moving from Gunnison.

The $15 million project by CSS Composites was announced by the Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCUtah), Sevier County and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED).

CSS manufactures high-performance bicycle wheels and rims for brands that use Fusion Fiber technology that CSS developed. For two years, the company has developed a new material and process of manufacturing Fusion Fiber in Gunnison.

Thirty jobs will move to Richfield, where CSS is building a 50,000-square-foot, highly automated manufacturing center that is expected to be complete in September. The company expects to add another 20 jobs in Richfield by the end of 2022.

As part of the process, the company secured funding through a Private Activity Bond from the Utah Department of Workforce Services and the Rural Jobs Act, working with Enhanced Capital.

“It’s a cutting-edge tech center,” said Jimmy Seear, company co-founder. “Our team has developed a new manufacturing process with faster processing times that allow us to produce recyclable composite wheels — a first in the market. We’re able to be price-competitive while offering a substantially better product than is being produced by an Asian factory, thereby bringing manufacturing back to North America. We have been extremely thankful for the supportive environment the state of Utah offers to businesses to help them grow.”

Seear said state and local government have been “extremely supportive” of the project.

“We’re also working with Snow College and the Sevier School District to develop workforce curricula to augment our internal training programs,” he said. “We’re excited for the job growth potential this expansion brings to rural Utah.”

Malcolm Nash, Sevier County economic development director, said Central Utah can support the company “because we have the educational and technical training resources to train a labor pool the company can draw from for years to come.”

Dan Hemmert, GOED’s executive director, said CSS “represents the cross-section of two of Utah’s targeted industries: advanced materials and manufacturing, and outdoor products.”

“This expansion supports growth in two critical sectors while bringing jobs and economic diversity to Sevier County, making this announcement very compelling,” Hemmert said.

“The management and ownership team of CSS has its roots in aerospace, cycling and advanced manufacturing industries,” said Theresa A. Foxley, president and CEO of EDCUtah. “Their experience and vision will accelerate the growth of advanced manufacturing in the central Utah region.”