PHOTO BY JOHN FRYMAN / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY … V-ROD Fiberglass Rebar held its ribbon cutting ceremony for its new manufacturing facility located at 507 West Indiana Street, Edon on Tuesday, May 12. The facility will produce fiberglass rebar for the construction industry and will create 60 new jobs. Taking part in the ribbon cutting ceremony are front row from left: Jennifer Stantz of WEDCO; Jim Whitman, Edon Economic Development; Jessica Sattler, Regional Growth Partnership Senior Project Manager; Ashley Epling, WEDCO Executive Director; Scott Lirot, Williams County Commissioner; Jason Kester, Agracal, Inc; Richard Nickels, V-ROD General Manager; Graig Grieser, WEDCO chairman; and Bernard Drouin, V-ROD Chief Executive Officer. Back row from left: Tim Schneider, Northwest Ohio Field Director for U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno; Duane Thiel, Edon Mayor; Chad Ordway, Edon Village Administrator; Lee Lawrence, Edon Village Council President; Tonya Loughborough, Edon Chamber of Commerce President; and Danielle Tanner, Edon Chamber of Commerce.
By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
V-ROD Fiberglass Rebar held its official ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, May 12 at its new location on 507 West Indiana Street, Edon.
The North American leader for fiberglass rebar invested $7 million to manufacture composite rebars for the United States market. It primarily serves the construction market, specifically bridge and viaduct infrastructure.
It will also create 60 new jobs over time as operations have already started in the 127,000 square-foot facility.
“On behalf of the entire V-ROD team, it is a real pleasure and an honor to be here today,” said V-ROD CEO Bernard Drouin.
“We are genuinely excited to establish V-ROD in Ohio, in Williams County, and more specifically in the beautiful village of Edon.”
Over the past decade, V-ROD has experienced periods of rapid and significant growth. The new manufacturing facility in Edon is a critical step in sustaining that momentum and supporting the next phase of the company expansion.
“This plant will allow us to better serve our U.S. customers, improve responsiveness, and continue investing in innovation and quality,” said Drouin.
With headquarters in Quebec, V-ROD chose Edon to better serve the American market.
“I’m just happy to have a business come into Edon, and I want to thank Ashley (Epling) and Jennifer (Stantz) for their diligence of timing, and they invested in getting this business to come to Edon,” said Edon Mayor Duane Thiel.
Lee Lawrence who is the president of Edon Village Council said the village is so thankful that V-ROD has picked Edon.
“I’m not sure how you decided Edon was your place, but we are very grateful that you made Edon, Williams County, and Ohio your home,” said Lawrence.
“Everybody who has been involved in this is in total amazement that you got this done. We’re very thankful for all of our partners who got involved to help even the county commissioners.
“Again, welcome and thank you for choosing Edon, and we’re excited about the partnership that you are going to be with us. And we’re looking forward to a longer relationship with V-ROD.”
Jessica Sattler of the Regional Growth Partnership, a network partner with JobsOhio, the state’s economic development arm, said it took a lot of hard work on everyone’s part in making this happen.
“We’ve been involved from the get-go looking at lots of different locations and lots of hurdles,” said Sattler.
“There were times I had thought I’m not just sure if I was going to win this deal and there were so many hurdles. Bernard (Drouin) and his team were just so steadfast in working together with our larger team.
“The number of phone calls and everything that we had to do and to make sure this is happening. It was truly a team effort, because it was a little bit more hurdling than we’re used to. I don’t think this would have happened without your team (V-ROD) being so flexible and working so hard.
“Sixty jobs for Edon is a big deal here. It could have been anywhere in the Midwest, so thank you for what you’re doing. We’re excited about the move here.”
Drouin thanked the Village of Edon for its warm hospitality and openness from the very beginning.
“You made us feel welcome, and that matters more than you might realize,” he pointed out.
“We are also deeply grateful to the Williams County Economic Development Corporation, (WEDCO), for its unwavering support throughout this journey.”
He concluded that V-ROD is extremely proud to be a part of the Edon community.
“We take our responsibility seriously, and we are fully committed to working hard every day to make this venture a success for our employees, for Edon, for Williams County, and for the State of Ohio,” said Drouin. “We look forward to building a strong, long-term future together.”