A new business is coming from Oregon to establish a new location in Ravenna, and another company deserves at least part of the credit.
Dacon, a rubber extrusion plant, plans to move into a 20,000-square-foot plant at 4839 Washington Ave. in Ravenna Township.
The building, at the corner of S.R. 14 and Washington, most recently operated as another rubber plant, but for many years housed Umbaugh Pole Buildings, said Jack Kohl, the real estate broker who helped facilitate the deal.
Kohl said he received a tip that Dacon was looking to locate in the Ravenna area about a year ago. Dacon, he said, was looking to move into the area partly because it had a long business relationship with Portage Precision Polymers in Ravenna.
“We toured about a dozen buildings with them,” he said of Dacon. “They’re good, quality people.”
Paula Cayton, controller of Dacon, said the company, founded in 1991, has two other plants, one in Jacksonville, Texas, and its headquarters in Portland, Ore.
“There was a need in that area,” she said. “A lot of our customers are in that area and material sources are right in that area.”
She said the Washington Avenue building has been vacant for several years. Crews are there now renovating the building for Dacon, a process expected to take about three months.“It was an extrusion company before, so it’s perfect for what we need,” she said.
About 5 people are expected to be hired right away, with the staff expected to increase to eight in the next year and 18 in the future.
The company’s rubber products are used in various industries, including transportation and agriculture.
Financing was arranged by the Portage County Commissioners, Steve McDonald of Home Savings Bank of Kent and Neighborhood Development Services, Inc.
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