Intelligrated planning $10M expansion in Mason

• The $10.2 million project represents the company's second headquarters expansion in two years.

MASON – Intelligrated Inc., one of the region's largest private employers, announced this week it's expanding its Mason headquarters with plans to add hundreds of new jobs in three years.

The fast-growing material handling equipment company plans to expand its headquarters at 7901 Innovation Way by an additional 83,000 square feet to accommodate 238 new jobs, mostly in the engineering field.

The $10.2 million project represents the company's second headquarters expansion in two years, bringing its total space to 389,000 square feet on 14 acres in Mason.

"We have great momentum right now and are moving quickly to leverage our market position for rapid growth. The city of Mason has been an outstanding partner and JobsOhio has consistently provided us with the resources and the right operating environment to remain the leader in automated material handling solutions," Intelligrated CEO Chris Cole said in a news statement.

Mason Mayor David Nichols did not return The Enquirer's request for comment, but in a staff report, City Manager Eric Hansen said the project aligns with the city's goals of targeting tier one companies and enhancing economic development strategies along the Interstate-71 corridor.

Nichols previously told The Enquirer the city has been working to expand its regional cluster of bioscience companies along the Interstate-71/Western Row corridor, or what officials call the city's "corporate front door."

"We have been very intentional about fostering technology and bioscience growth in the I-71 corridor. It's great to see that concept become reality," Nichols said in a news statement.

Mason City Council approved a 15-year 100 percent property tax abatement for the expansion, contingent on Intelligrated making annual payments to Kings Local Schools. Officials also approved a $400,000 incentive grant through the Mason Port Authority.

City officials said they worked with JobsOhio to craft the incentive package in efforts to lure Intelligrated to expand its operations in Mason. The company's proposal had attracted competition from other states in which Intelligrated has operations, according to the staff report.

The new jobs, which have an annual average salary of $70,000, are expected to bring an additional $16.6 million in new payroll, according to the city.

In 2009, Ohio provided a $24 million incentive package to triple Intelligrated's size and secure 537 existing jobs at three Ohio plants and create at least 267 more over three years.

Three years later, the company said it had run out of space since receiving that incentive package and broke ground on an expansion that doubled the size of its Mason headquarters and created 200 new jobs over three years.

Intelligrated currently employs more than 500 at its Mason headquarters, with additional operations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It was launched in 2001 by Cole, and president and COO Jim McCarthy.

Intelligrated's expansion is one of several announced in Mason this year. In January, personalized medicine startup Assurex Health confirmed it plans to build a new 60,000-square-foot headquarters and state-of-the-art clinical laboratory in Mason.

Mitsubishi Electric Automotive America, a Mason supplier of automotive components, announced in February it plans to expand its 500,000-square-foot facility at Mason-Montgomery and Bethany roads and add 100 new skilled and semi-skilled positions over the next three years. The $81 million investment marks Mitsubishi's eighth expansion since opening its corporate headquarters in Mason 28 years ago.

Last week, Procter & Gamble announced it plans to shut down its Sharon Woods Innovation Center in Blue Ash and build a massive new center at its 243-acre Mason Business Center to house the research and development arm of its beauty care business. The $300 million investment will bring up to 1,350 new jobs and $160 million in payroll to Mason.