FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 24, 2017) – Gov. Matt Bevin today announced Traughber Mechanical Services (TMS), a custom steel fabrication and mechanical contracting company, will expand its Franklin operation with a nearly $580,000 investment that will create 10 full-time jobs.
“Traughber Mechanical Services has called Simpson County home for a quarter of a century, and I am pleased to announce the company’s decision to invest even further in Kentucky,” said Gov. Bevin. “The Commonwealth has worked closely with the Traughber family to make this expansion a reality, and I want to congratulate them and the Franklin community on this important commitment to additional job creation.”
Having outgrown its current manufacturing facility, TMS will add 6,000 square feet, pushing its total building size to nearly 19,000 square feet. That will accommodate new offices, machinery and other equipment.
“We are excited about the opportunity to expand our business and bring more jobs to the Simpson County community,” said Joey Traughber, vice president for business development. “This expansion will allow us to better serve our existing customers and grow our customer base by adding more fabrication space and equipment. We worked closely with state of Kentucky and our local economic development office to secure the Kentucky Business Investment incentive and that helped to make this expansion a reality for our business.”
Founded in Franklin in 1992, TMS manufactures specialty products, including ductwork, piping and other quality fabricated products. The company currently employs 29 Kentucky residents.
Sen. David Givens, of Greensburg, welcomed the job creation in the region.
“I am grateful that Traughber Mechanical Services has chosen to invest more than half a million dollars in Franklin’s economy and workforce,” he said. “The creation of new Kentucky jobs is always welcome news, and I look forward to this company’s success in Simpson County.”
Rep. Wilson Stone, of Scottsville, said the locally grown company continues to make a positive impact across the community.
“We’re proud to call Traughber Mechanical Services one of our own here in Simpson County,” Rep. Stone said. “They’re a homegrown company that has helped many of our other industries grow and prosper. We appreciate the high-quality jobs they are adding to our local economy and wish them all the best with their expansion.”
Franklin Mayor Ronnie Clark noted the company’s long-standing relationship with the community and the skilled job opportunities presented by the investment.
“Traughber Mechanical, which located in Franklin 25 years ago, has now expanded three times since they started their business in 1992,” Mayor Clark said. “The company provides highly skilled, well-paying jobs for our community and we are very pleased that they continue to grow in Franklin.”
Simpson County Judge-Executive Jim Henderson said Traughber is rooted in the community and has been a true success story.
“A truly home-grown industry, Traughber Mechanical is an important service industry in Simpson County,” he said. “The company has had steady growth over the years and their latest expansion will provide some excellent job opportunities for our area.”
To encourage the investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in February preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $120,000 through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the agreement term through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.
In addition, TMS can receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network. Through the Kentucky Skills Network, companies can receive no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job training incentives. In fiscal 2016, the Kentucky Skills Network provided training for nearly 95,000 Kentuckians and 5,000 companies from a variety of industry sectors.
A detailed community profile for Simpson County can be viewed at http://bit.ly/SimpsonCo.