Kentucky HVAC firm to grow in Tooele

By Brice Wallace

A Kentucky-based company focused on heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) will expand its operations in Tooele, planning to add 120 jobs over the next 12 years.

Kentuckiana Curb Company Inc. (KCC) wants the $42 million project in order to establish a West Coast manufacturing presence. The employee-owned company provides design, manufacturing, installation and service for commercial and residential HVAC. It established its headquarters in Kentucky in 1977 and opened its Tooele location in 1995.

KCC has four divisions and six locations, with more than 600 employees and 425,000 square feet of operating space. Its products include metal and conventional roof curbs, stainless steel gutters, skylights, smoke vents, roof hatches, walkways and other roof products.

Documents from the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (Go Utah) indicate the Tooele project potentially will feature three 40,000-square-foot buildings over about seven years. The Go Utah board, at its December meeting, approved a tax credit of up to $748,612 over 12 years for the project.

“We’ve experienced tremendous growth,” Michael Kopp, the company’s in-house counsel, told the board. “We think that’s going to continue and we love the idea of having a location in Utah because it gives us access to a whole ’nother market that we really can’t reach from Kentucky.”

KCC originally produced curbs and adaptors — sheet metal platforms placed on roofs for the mounting of HVAC units. About 10 years ago, it began making commercial outdoor air units that are used for high-occupancy spaces such as schools, hotels and restaurants, Kopp said.

The company has been employee-owned since 2008. “So we have a lot of dedicated ‘employee owners’ and hope to hire many more in your great state and look forward to the expansion,” Kopp told the board.

“KCC has been really great to work with. We’re excited to have them here,” Jared Stewart, economic development coordinator at Tooele City, told the board. “They have a very small operation already in Tooele, so it works out well that they can expand on that. … [We’re] just happy to have KCC expanding here [with] really good jobs, and we’re excited for their contributions to the community.”

Daniel Royal, director of corporate growth and business development at Go Utah, said Utah faced competition from Nevada for the project.

Go Utah documents indicate the project will generate new total wages of nearly $60.9 million over 10 years and new state tax revenue of nearly $3 million during that time. The new jobs will pay an average of $71,895.

KCC’s contract with the state will be post-performance, meaning it will receive the tax credit only after it meets its obligations. Each year that KCC meets the criteria in its contract, it will qualify for a portion of the total tax credit.

“This expansion will allow KCC to establish a West Coast presence for manufacturing,” Dan Hemmert, Go Utah executive director, said in a prepared statement. “The company will be a great addition to Utah’s manufacturing industry, and we’re excited for the number of jobs they’ll bring to Tooele.”

“We’re very excited to further our expansion efforts in Utah,” Anthony Balbach, KCC chief financial officer, said in a prepared statement. “By expanding our presence in Utah, we hope to establish a long-standing foothold in the western United States market and further our lineup of healthy building initiative HVAC products and roof curbs. As a 100-percent employee-owned company, we also look forward to welcoming new ‘employee owners’ and continuing our maturation as a premier technological and exceptional quality manufacturer.”

Theresa A. Foxley, president and CEO of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah, said Tooele City did “a tremendous job” in supporting this long-standing corporate partner as the company increased its investment in Tooele.

“The city helped them identify suitable real estate, assisted in a re-zone of the property, and is funding electrical infrastructure to the site,” she said. “KCC’s confidence in Tooele City as a partner moving forward will pay dividends as they expand in the West.”