About 150 people, including state and local officials, gathered this morning, Oct. 20, in front of Crystal City Hall for an announcement that James Hardie Industries will build a 1.25 million-square-foot facility on and around the Festus Municipal Airport property.
According to the James Hardie Industries website, the company, based in Ireland, is “the world leader in fiber cement siding and backboard.”
The company has manufactured building materials for more than 100 years and in addition to fiber cement siding it produces soffit and trim products and employs about 5,200 employees worldwide.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, one of the speakers at the gathering, said construction is expected to start in April 2023, when “dirt will be flying.”
Jefferson County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Todd Tracy said the target for opening the Crystal City plant is “the third or fourth quarter of 2025.”
“The end result of (when the project is completed) is a good day for Missouri,” Parson said.
The facility will provide 238 jobs that pay $34 per hour on average, according to speakers at the event.
Typically, the company hires most of its workforce locally, Hardie Industries spokeswoman Mackenzie Smith Ledet said.
“We will develop a strong, diverse workforce,” said Ledet, the James Hardie government relations director. “We, on average, hire 75 percent of our employees from the local community.”
Another speaker, Jefferson County Executive Dennis Gannon, praised those who worked to bring the project together, saying “This project has been about a year in the making.”
Ledet said the Crystal City plant will be the company’s 11th in the U.S. and first in Missouri.
After the speeches, Crystal City Mayor Mike Osher said the James Hardie Industries development will mark the city’s return to its manufacturing roots, referring to the Pittsburgh Plate Glass factory that operated in town for decades.
“We’re a factory town that’s going to be a factory town again,” Osher said. “The economic impact is going to be tremendous.”
The estimated cost to build the facility has not been released, but Tracy said it will be “the biggest corporate investment ever in Jefferson County.
“This is a company committed to being partners with the city and the county long-term.”
Tracy said he foresees the Crystal City facility being the company’s “premiere plant in North America over the next 10 years.”
Before today’s announcement, the development had been cloaked in secrecy under the code name “Project Redbird” because the company required a nondisclosure agreement.
Over the last several months, the Crystal City Council has approved annexations and rezoning requests to clear the way for the proposed development.
In addition, the Jefferson County Council has committed $7.25 million to help cover infrastructure costs for the project.
The airport is expected to close this week, said Mike Bippen, a spokesman for Citizens for Airport Economic Expansion, a group that has operated the airport for years.
Jim Kennedy, who reportedly has sold the property to the developer, could not be reached for comment.
