By Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
The Botetourt County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted last Tuesday to approve a $50,000 local incentive for a $4.5 million expansion of Gala Industries’ Eagle Rock facility.
The performance agreement stipulates that the $50,000 will be paid in increments to Gala Industries after the company reaches certain construction and machinery-related milestones, including the receipt of a building permit, completion of the expansion footings, installation of additional machinery, and the obtention of a certificate of occupancy for the expansion.
The Botetourt County Economic Development Authority also unanimously voted in favor of the $50,000 local incentive during its meeting last Friday.
“We are excited to work with Gala Industries and this most recent expansion,” Dr. Richard Bailey, who represents the Fincastle District on the Board of Supervisors, said. “Gala Industries has a very important role in providing jobs and prosperity in Botetourt County, which is particularly the case in the Eagle Rock community.”
Although the expansion will not result in the creation of new jobs, it will bring with it the relocation of six engineering positions to Eagle Rock from a leased space in Roanoke. The expansion costs include $3 million for construction, specifically the addition of 20,000 square feet of production space, and $1.5 million for machinery investments.
According to the county administrator’s comments that were included in the Board of Supervisors meeting packet, “Botetourt County has the opportunity to incentivize the expansion to further strengthen the relationship with a leading local employer, capture the capital investment, retain local jobs in the Roanoke Valley, and to attract potential future additional job creation and capital investment to the Eagle Rock facility.”
The expansion does not qualify for any state-level incentives.
Incorporated in Eagle Rock, Gala Industries started operation in 1959 and now is part of the Maag family of companies that is headquartered in Switzerland and owned by the Illinois-based Dover Corporation. The Eagle Rock facility currently employs over 150 individuals.