New Jersey company to expand its presence at Westmoreland business park

Directors for the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp. have approved an option agreement for a lot at the Westmoreland Business & Research Park that will add a new manufacturing facility and office building, along with potentially 50 new jobs.

The agreement gives WAB Associates six months to finalize the $218,050 purchase of Lot 22. WAB represents the New Jersey-based Weiss-Aug Group, which WCIDC officials said are planning to build a 40,000-square-foot manufacturing and office building.

Weiss-Aug Group is a parent company to JK Tool, which already has a presence at the business park, which straddles Upper Burrell and Washington townships.

JK Tool also announced an expansion project that will double the size of its existing 20,000 square foot facility. Between new construction and expansion, Weiss-Aug officials said they expect its number of employees to triple over the next three to five years at the park.

“This is great news,” said county Commissioner Sean Kertes, who chairs the redevelopment corporation. “The fact that this out-of-state company is choosing to invest again in this industrial park tells us they like what we have to offer. Our location, business climate and skilled workforce make Westmoreland County the smart choice.”

The agreement leave one lot available at the park, which is the county’s largest. Spanning 544 acres, the park was developed in two phases starting in 1992. It now is home to 21 companies and more than 2,500 workers.

“When the WCIDC began to draw up plans for this industrial park back in the early 1990s, the goal was to create an atmosphere that would attract tenants that would appreciate the amenities of an industrial park in an attractive campus-like setting,” said Doug Chew, county commissioner and WCIDC vice chair. “This park has been a success by any metric.”

Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher, who serves as WCIDC director, said economic development is on a roll in the county, with Weiss-Aug Group’s announcement following three other sizable corporate investments at county business parks.

“That’s four big projects — in just eight months — that are going to add to the Westmoreland economy,” Thrasher said. “And there’s more in the pipeline.”