Custom rotational molder Sterling Technologies Inc. is spending $2 million to expand its distribution space and add enterprise resource planning operating systems.
The Lake City, Pa., company bought a new facility nearby in Erie County and is now renovating it to integrate with its main production plant in Lake City. It had been leasing space to meet growth.
“We're experiencing exponential growth in myriad markets,” Sterling President Cary Quigley said in a Jan. 3 phone interview. He pointed to lawn and garden as one of the most dynamic markets.
Sterling expects to add 66 new jobs over three years as a result of the project and to protect its current 161 staff positions. The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development is offering a $150,000 Pennsylvania First program grant, $132,000 in job creation tax credits and $46,700 for employee training.
“We were considering moving production, warehousing and ultimately many jobs to another region, but in discussing our objectives and our goals with the [state] we soon found that staying in Erie County was a great alternative to moving,” noted Sterling CEO Greg Cronkhite in a news release.
Cronkhite founded the company in 1998 and Quigley joined him a year later. Sterling has grown to a more than $12 million per year business with nine rotational molding lines. It rotomolds a range of polyolefins, nylon, PVC and post-consumer resins. It offers a diversity of secondary services, including design and prototyping, and finishing.