News Summary

MIDDLETOWN — Ventilex USA Inc., a Dutch-owned company, is scheduled to open for business May 30 with a building dedication and open house from noon to 6 p.m.

Ventilex will sell items manufactured by its parent company, IMTECH N.V., based in the Netherlands. Employees will sell industrial machinery such as fluid bed dryers and coolers primarily used by the food, dairy, pharmaceutical and aggregate industries. Its yearly profits exceed $5 billion, company officials said.

The company will be moving seven jobs from its location in West Chester Twp. to the new 10,000-square-foot Middletown office. Officials said they plan to incorporate 18 more positions within the next few years.

To encourage Ventilex to move to Middletown, the city offered the company a 65 percent, 10-year tax abatement worth more than $79,000 over the term. The city stipulated Ventilex must bring 24 new jobs to their facility in Greentree Industrial Park at 4640 Emerald Way within the next three years, said Bill Murphy, economic development director.

The 8.5 acres owned by the company in Greentree Industrial Park has enough room for expansion to add manufacturing facilities, as well as a campus for other IMTECH companies, officials said.

Murphy said the city will continue working with the company after the opening to find innovative ways to maximize space.

"There is room for future expansions. Some other opportunities for the facility include some related subsidiaries and perhaps a manufacturing component," Murphy said. "(Ventilex) has been very receptive to the ideas."

Ventilex officials also expressed the wish to continue growing in Middletown.

"We are excited that Middletown has welcomed us into their community, and look forward to continued success as we build and expand our company and community," said Tom Schroeder, president of Ventilex. "Plans are possible for Ventilex to build their unique equipment at the Emerald Way facility when the company begins to expand their current building and operations in the coming years."

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2843 or jlander@coxohio.com.

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