On Thursday, Graves County Economic Development jointly announced with Osmundson Manufacturing representatives that Graves County has been chosen for the company's first expansion outside its primary location in Perry, Iowa.
Gov. Andy Beshear highlighted the continued momentum of the state's agri-tech and manufacturing sector with the announcement Osmundson is planning a $12.5 million capital investment which will create 80 full-time jobs.
"Saturday is the one-year anniversary of the horrendous tornado event, and so this company is going to bring quality, full-time jobs to this area. This is going to help save the town of Mayfield. This will not only help us pick ourselves back up, but it's going to help us move forward. This brings incredible hope at an amazing time, that this community deserves it, every bit of good news it's getting," said Beshear.
"I want to thank the company for choosing Kentucky, and specifically for choosing Graves County in the Mayfield area."
The company's investment will include the purchase of nearly 35 acres in the Hickory Industrial Park to construct a 150,000 square foot facility, which will house two hot production lines and support cold workstations that will produce 20-inch and larger disc blades for both the agriculture and construction industries. Construction on the building is scheduled to begin in 2023 and is expected to be completed by 2025.
"We are a five generation, family-owned company. We have been in the small town of Perry, Iowa, very similar to Mayfield for five generations," said Heather Bruce, owner of Osmundson. "We've been there for almost 120 years, and we're very excited to start the new planning process for the new facility."
Osmundson blades are 100% American-made. Founded in 1903 as Osmundson Spade, the company developed revolutionary spade that resists breakage. The "unbreakable spade" now sits on display in the Smithsonian. Osmundson Spade grew to become Osmundson Manufacturing Co. through the evolution of agriculture. The company currently employs approximately 100 employees at its 142,000 square foot headquarters and production facility in Iowa.
Osmundson's investment and planned job creation furthers recent economic momentum in the commonwealth, as the state builds back stronger from the effects of the pandemic.
Jason Lemle, president of GCED, says he is encouraged by the future of the community and for what is to come for Graves County. "Osmundson's culture, history and values align with the very being of Graves County, family, community, and vision," said Lemle. "From the events of Dec. 10, 2021, Graves County has made significant strides toward the future of our community and what we might look like. This new expansion and new business from another part of the country further cements that we are making the necessary steps to create a better and brighter future for our community and its people.
"We are honored to have Osmundson select Graves County for the future of their business, and we look forward to supporting them for decades to come."
Osmundson has also developed new steels and heat-treating techniques which help give the company a green footprint in the steel heat-treating world. Osmundson is the only United States manufacturer of high-quality disc, coulter, seeder, and grain drill blades.
"It's going to be great. I'm very much looking forward to all the relationships and all the new people we'll be dealing with in western Kentucky. We're very much a family focused company, and we're very excited to get started. We very much appreciate it and look forward to the future." said Bruce.