“This grant is a win for our entire region.” New building coming in Austintown
A developer plans on filling one of the last large vacant parcels of industrial land in Austintown with pre-engineered metal building thanks to support from JobsOhio and Lake to River Economic Development.
GSP Land Holdings of North Jackson received $500,000 from JobsOhio to build a new 25,000-square-foot industrial spec building on Silica Road in Austintown.
An industrial spec building is constructed with the intent of immediate sale or lease upon completion, according to McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture.
GSP Land Holdings secured the $500,000 from the JobsOhio Site Inventory Program, supported by Lake to River Economic Development.
Joe Cetor is the co-owner of GSP Land Holdings in Austintown.
“With help from JobsOhio, our township and our great partners at Lake to River, we’re constructing a building to serve as a launchpad for new economic activity and new jobs,” Cetor said.
This is the third and largest pre-engineered metal building Cetor and his business partners have constructed in the last several years, designed to accommodate a range of different industrial tenants.
“This project and investment reflect our continued belief in the strength of small business, manufacturing and the future of the Mahoning Valley,” Cetor said.
Alexa Sweeney Blackann is the interim CEO of Lake to River.
“This grant is a win for our entire region,” she said. “Spec buildings like the one GSP Land Holdings is constructing are crucial tools in our business attraction efforts. With this investment from JobsOhio, we’re removing barriers for site selectors and giving companies more reasons to choose our region.”
J.P. Nauseef, the president and CEO of JobsOhio, said due to the Mahoning Valley’s high occupancy rate, companies need space to make it easier to create new job opportunities and investment.
“This new spec building at Silica Road will deliver much-needed inventory to the area, making it easier for companies to seize the region’s unique advantages in advanced manufacturing, 3-D printing and battery technology,” Nauseef said.
Bruce Shepas, Austintown Township trustee, and other local officials expressed their support for the project and its long-term implications for the region.
“This kind of development doesn’t happen by accident. It takes vision, risk and strong partnerships,” Shepas said. “GSP Holdings is stepping up as a private investor, and Lake to River continues to show why this region needed its own economic development agency. This project is an example of how strategic collaboration and readiness can turn underused property into real opportunity for job growth and economic strength in our region.”
