150 jobs coming to county

LAWRENCEBURG, Tenn. - A Canadian-based company that produces heat furnaces has announced plans to open a manufacturing plant in Lawrenceburg that will bring more than 150 jobs to the region.

Irwin Kornelsen, chief executive officer of Precision Lasers USA Inc., was in Lawrenceburg to make the announcement.

"We are extremely excited about opening our Lawrence County location," Kornelsen said. "During our prior visits, we have totally fallen in love with the area. The neighborhoods, schools, state park, golf courses, restaurants, etc., in the area have blown us away."

The company, which is based in Manitoba, Canada, will manufacture heat furnaces and other heat transfer equipment. It also will perform custom laser cutting operations.

Company officials said they will have the capabilities to custom cut steel and other metals. Among the company's clients are companies in the heat, oil, farming and mass transit industries.

Lawrenceburg Mayor Keith Durham said the facility will be housed in an existing 50,000-square-foot building on Motivation Drive and will involve an investment of between $6 million and $ 8 million in modern equipment.

"We're excited about having Precision Lasers Inc. and their 153 jobs come to our [area]," Durham said. "We had a building available that meets their needs and requirements. I doubt they would be coming had the building not been available.

"The entire city stands ready to assist Precision Lasers in their start-up process and looks forward to working with them to grow their business in the years to come."

City officials said the company is consolidating their operations in Mexico and Oklahoma into a single facility in Lawrenceburg.

Authorities said starting wages for many employees will be between $10 and $13 an hour, with some positions paying more.

The company plans to begin operations in mid-September.

Durham said it's his understanding that 20 percent of the jobs will involve welding, with the others involving general labor jobs as well as office staff.

Lawrence County Executive Paul Rosson said a team effort was needed to bring the company to Lawrenceburg.

"This announcement is a direct result of the partnerships and investments we have made over the last several years," Rosson said. "The cooperative effort between the city and county is one reason we landed this company."

He also praised the efforts of Chad Chancellor, the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce executive director.

"Chad has been working with these folks for months, and through that effort, he was able to find something very suitable for them," Rosson said.

Chancellor said good things happen when the entire community works together.

"The recruitment of Precision Lasers is such an example," he said. "I cannot begin to tell you how many different people or different entities touched this project during the past four months as we heavily recruited Precision Lasers."

Kornelsen also noted the team-like approach he saw from county and city leaders.

"We truly found the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce to be a one-stop shop for all of our questions and concerns as we learned about the many aspects of doing business here," he said. "City and county officials worked in unison and impressed us from our first meeting."

Company officials said the company will begin hiring almost immediately and will employ more than 150 people during a three-year period.

Job applications will be taken through the Tennessee Career Center at (931) 762-8705.

Tom Smith can be reached at 740-5757 or tom.smith@TimesDaily.com.