Springfield lures German company - Business First of Columbus:

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will break ground in late July onits $3.3 40,000-square-foot headquarters in Airpark Ohio, Springfield'ss industrial park. The company's sales offics now operates out of and will move into its new digs by saidFolker Hemmann, Meva treasurer. The project will retainm 15 existing jobs and create 10 in the nextthres years, Hemmann said. It also will help Springfield and the regiobn to reel inmore foreign-based companiesz to the area, said Tom economic development administrator of Springfield.
"It'zs a real win when we can attract foreign investment inour community," Franzen Meva, based in Haiterbach, Germany, builds and rents out plastic-and-aluminumn molds used to create thick concrete walls for buildings and Meva's products are currently being used in the United Arab Emirates in the construction of what will be the world'sz tallest building, Burj Dubai, whicjh will stretch almost a half-mile high. Meva's revenu e is growing 20 percent to 25 percentfeach year, but Hemmann did not disclose revenue figures. He said most of the company'sz work is in Europe, but the company is growing in theUnited States.
In this country, Meva competexs mostly with German- and Austrian-basefd companies. Hemmann said Meva competes in a couplsof ways: By supplying U.S. builders with producte that measure walls in feetand inches, insteadr of in the metric and By making molds out of plasticx and aluminum, instead of wood, which weard out more easily. Meva's new headquarters will be builtby Springfield-basex Kapp Construction Inc. on six acres across from the Bob Evanx Farmsdistribution facility. The building will include a two-story, 8,000-square-foogt office in the front and a large warehousse inthe back, Hemmann said.
"Ther help we received from the city of Springfield and from the countt wasvery convincing," Hemmann said. Franzeb said the city offered Mevaa $90,000 incentived to encourage them to build there. Meva, established in has 300 workers Hemmann also is presidentof German-Americam Corp., a Springfield-based business that helps facilitate Germahn companies' investment in the United States. Meva got its starg in the U.S. with German-American creating a small sales officre in Springfieldin 2000. Hemmann's role as treasureer is contracted withthe company.
Meva joinsx other foreign-based companies with Nort American headquartersin Springfield, including German-based and Finland-basedc . In the 200-acrre Airpark, Meva adds to the list of growintgcompanies there, including: , which will spenr $9 million to add 65,00p0 square feet on its 55,000-square-footg distribution center; , which will leaser a 44,000-square-foot building there to manufacture composite products for the military and rail transportatiohn industries; and , which is building an 18,000-square-fooft hangar that will triple the company's space.