Expanding again

A manufacturing facility on the north side of Portland is growing.

Again.

Joyce/Dayton Corporation held a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday to celebrate the start of a nearly $9 million project that will mark the 11th expansion of its manufacturing facility.

“Today marks a momentous occasion for Joyce/Dayton,” said company president Brad Weiss, thanking Jay County Chamber of Commerce, Jay County Development Corporation, Indiana Economic Development Corporation and the community for their support. “We are excited about our continued growth in Portland.”

The project involves adding 26,000 square feet to the existing facility at 1621 N. Meridian St. That will expand the building’s footprint by more than 30%.

Joyce/Dayton, which manufactures screw jacks in Portland, will expand the manufacturing area of its operation to the south of its 12-acre property at the southeast corner of Meridian Street and county road 100 North. It is also adding 6,000 square feet on the northwest corner of the building to add conference rooms, offices, a new break room and restrooms. The parking lot will be expanded.

The above illustration shows the planned expansion of office space, conference rooms, break rooms and a larger parking lot on the northwest side of the Joyce/Dayton facility. (Illustration provided)

 

The work is in addition to a 3,600-square-foot expansion at the northeast corner of the facility that started in August.

“We knew when we embarked on that project that it wasn’t enough,” said chief operating officer Dianne Trentman.

The beginnings of the need for the expansion occurred in 2019 when Joyce/Dayton purchased a business line from Enerpac of Milwaukee. There was additional growth from 2020 through 2022, leading to record production at the Portland facility in each of the last two years.

“The combination of those two things kind of had us busting at the scenes,” Trentman said.

The local facility is also going to begin making component units for Joyce/Dayton’s plant that manufactures high-speed actuators in Connecticut and has interest in developing new product lines.

Some new equipment has already been brought in and more will come when the expansion is complete. It will allow for enlarging the assembly area and having inventory available on the line instead of in warehouse space on the east end of the facility. 

“It’ll allow us to enlarge our assembly area,” said Trentman. “Right now they’re pretty crammed in.”

The engineering and research space will also be expanded. And the facility will be air-conditioned for the first time.

H.A. Dorsten of Minster, Ohio, is the contractor for the project that was designed by Arcturis Architecture of St. Louis. The work, which will begin with excavation when weather allows, is expected to take about a year to complete.

As a result of the expansion, Joyce/Dayton expects to add nearly 40 employees to its current workforce of 110 by the end of 2026.

In October, Jay County Development Corporation executive director Travis Richards presented two tax abatement requests for the project to Portland City Council. The abatements, estimated to save the company $868,000 while the expansion generates about $1.09 million in taxes over 10 years, were approved the following month.

Indiana Economic Development Corporation is providing $275,000 in incentive-based tax credits related to the project as well as up to $200,000 fro the Hoosier Business Investment tax credit program.

Joyce/Dayton, based in Kettering, Ohio, and owned by Graham Holdings Company of Arlington, Virginia, opened its Portland manufacturing facility in 1973. The company that was founded as Joyce Cridland Company in 1873 works with industries including construction, manufacturing, military and transportation.

Trentman noted the diversity of the company that was doing a lot of work for the solar energy sector about eight years ago and more recently had a major project involving a conveyor company.

The expansion comes on the heels of Indiana Chamber of Commerce naming Joyce/Dayton one of the state’s best places to work in manufacturing last year. It is also a finalist for the Jay County Community Award for Industry of the Year.

“We really take pride in the working environment that we have,” said Portland plant manager Kyle Roe. “It’s a laid-back environment. Everybody knows their job and responsibilities. … We put a lot of time and energy and effort into making employees feel welcome, included, have a voice.”

“If you can imagine working with your friends in your garage, that's kind of what it feels like."