A German-owned manufacturing company in Watertown will expand its facility and add jobs to its workforce. Roth Industries only plans to add 12 jobs as of now, but any job growth in Jefferson County is positive news.
Roth Industries is in the plastic processing business. That means they use heat to mold plastics into different forms -- like into those orange rectangle-shaped traffic barriers at highway construction sites. They also make oil storage tanks and other products.
CEO Joe Brown, who’s based out of their office in Syracuse, said Roth Industries had plans to expand when first arriving in Watertown 10 years ago, but the housing crisis in 2007 hit them hard. After five hard years, things turned around for them.
“We’ve seen the business grow in the last several years. We’ve been operating 24/7 for over a year now," Brown said.
The $5.9 million expansion was made possible by a 15-year loan from local development agencies. The company will also get $425,000 in state tax credits. Assemblywoman Addie Russell said supporting manufacturing companies that have stuck out the recession in Watertown is worth it.
“I think these are the kind of businesses we should be zeroing in on. It’s all great to attract new businesses and try to steal them away from other states but we are actually going to create more jobs in this area and create capacity for even more to come," Russell said.
Russell said the 12 new jobs are only the tip of the iceberg. She expects more jobs will follow.
Roth Industries CEO said the company will start hiring within a year. They plan to stay in Watertown and continue growing.