Intelligrated, Inc. celebrated the opening of a new $10 million office expansion in Mason Wednesday that is expected to bring hundreds of high-tech jobs to the area.
The expansion, which nearly doubles the space of Intelligrated’s headquarters just off I-71 on Innovation Way, is an integral part of the fast-growing supplier of material handling systems’ growth strategy, said CEO Chris Cole.
The 122,000-square-foot addition will allow Intelligrated to expand engineering, research and development staffing. The company added 180 mostly technical and professional Ohio jobs in the past year and expects to add 200 more employees in 2013.
“We have a facility here that I think is the most modern and advanced facility in our field,” said Cole. “This facility should make it easy to hire the very best technical talent in the industry.”
The expansion is the latest milestone in the company’s rapid growth since it launched in 2001, a week before the 9/11 attacks. Intelligrated acquired larger rival FKI Logistex’s North American operations in 2009 and completed the acquisition of New York-based Knighted, a provider of supply chain software solutions, in December.
Intelligrated, one of Greater Cincinnati’s largest privately held companies, doesn’t disclose sales, but Cole said the company broke $600 million in new orders in 2012 and enjoyed a record year in profitability.
“When we started we wanted to be a $500 million company. We passed that goal now and we’re working on the goal to a billion dollars or more in sales and we think we can do in the next five years,” he said.
The company chose to expand in Mason due to its pool of professional talent, proximity to urban and rural settings and a good working relationship with city leaders, said Cole.
Intelligrated received a $15 million expansion package from Ohio and Mason that included a combination of an extension of the company’s existing job creation tax credit, state and local government loans, property tax abatement and a grant from the State.
Mason Mayor David Nichols said the city’s support of Intelligrated is part of its aggressive approach toward making Mason a technical hub in the region.
The move is the latest in a string of high-profile development deals in Mason including Seapine Software’s new $7 million technical center on Western Row Road, and headquarters expansions by AssureRx Health Inc., Rhinestahl Corp. and Top Gun Sales Performance.
“(Intelligrated) is the model of the future of what we’re trying to do here,” he said.
The company employs about 2,100 nationally, including more than 800 in Ohio. Besides its Mason headquarters and engineering facility, which employs 310, Intelligrated employs about 425 at a nearly 300,000 square-foot plant in West Chester.
Intelligrated has operations in several states, Canada and Mexico.
The company, which produces conveyor systems and other material handling equipment, was launched in 2001 by Cole, and president and COO Jim McCarthy. Intelligrated’s ownership includes London-based Permira.
