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BUSINESS
McGinnis Inc. hopes new facility will expand business
SHERIDAN, Ohio -- McGinnis Inc. is in the midst of a $20 million project that could lead to 60 jobs in February or March. If the company gets a contract to build new barges, however, the number of new jobs could increase to 120, said Rick Griffith, McGinnis president.
McGinnis, based in South Point, started on the project last year to build the new barge repair facility where barges would be sandblasted and painted indoors. The company could expand its Marine Ways project to building new tows if it gets a contract, Griffith said Wednesday.
The company also could build new tow boats at the plant, he said.
"The number of new jobs is good for our community," Bill Dingus, executive director of the Lawrence Economic Development Corporation, said Wednesday. "We want to help our existing businesses and see they are given the opportunity to expand."
Dingus helped secure a $100,000 grant for the McGinnis project. The state Ohio Department of Development has approved the grant to build a new road to the site.
Ralph Kline, assistant executive director of the Ironton-Lawrence County Area Community Action Organization, also helped apply for a $500,000 community development block grant for the project. The Lawrence County Board of Commissioners was the applicant for the grant, he said.
The grant will help offset the $1.3 million cost to AEP to bring new electric lines to the site, Kline said.
McGinnis, which started operations in 1913, moved to South Point in 1971. It currently has about 150 employees in Lawrence County, Griffith said.
There are two contractors working on the project with about 20 to 30 employees, he said. The number of construction jobs could increase by another 20 later in the project, he said.
