State Loan To Help Eastern Panhandle Company Expand, Create 123 Additional Jobs

An Eastern Panhandle business is nearing approval of a $3.6 million state loan. The loan will help AB&C Group Inc. expand operations in Jefferson County, W.Va. and ultimately allow the company to employ 123 more people. Final approval of the loan by the West Virginia Economic Development Authority could come next month.

The announcement comes on the heels of a Jefferson County Development Authority decision to sell approximately 10 acres in Burr Business Park off W.Va. 9 to AB&C, which is expected to purchase a neighboring, 11-acre site in Bardane Industrial Park with the loan.

Two existing warehouses formerly home to TST/Impreso on the Bardane Industrial Park site, will immediately increase AB&C's available space by 26,000 square feet, according to a news release from Manchin's office. A 40,000-square-foot mezzanine will be added to provide office space, a call center, 10 to 12 shipping bays, additional conveyor equipment and barcode scanning capabilities.

The loan and expansion are expected to allow the company to increase employment to a total of 547 after three years. The company currently employs 424 people at a former Dixie-Narco building in Ranson, making it one the county's top 10 private employers.