Monti to Double its Sumter Operations
August 21, 2008
By JOE PERRY
Item Staff Writer
Electrical insulation fabricator Monti Inc. announced in a Thursday release a planned $1 million expansion to make room for new machinery and equipment at its 15,000-square-foot Live Oak Industrial Park facility located at 1 Red Bay Road.
The privately held Ohio-headquartered concern expects to double its footprint with another 15,000-square-foot warehouse to be completed by year’s end, and plant manager Eugene Finkbeiner said the company might hire new employees next year after the new equipment is in place. It presently has 18 employees.
“Our business is flourishing,” Finkbeiner said in the release. “Our top customer by far — Eaton Corp. — has a rapidly growing business, and we expect to do just as well. The Lord has been good to us.”
Preliminary site preparation has begun but is yet to get fully under way.
Finkbeiner thanked the Sumter Development Board as well as city and county officials for helping the expansion come to fruition.
“Without their help, this never would have happened,” he said in the release. “We have an exceptionally skilled work force in Sumter, and we will be looking to add more to the Monti team in the near future.”
Sumter County Council Chairwoman Vivian Fleming-McGhaney said in the release that Sumter County supports all expansion projects regardless of size.
“It is wonderful to see one of our smaller industries continue to grow at the rate Monti has,” she said. “We stand ready to support our existing industries in any way we can. We look forward to a mutually beneficial future for both Monti and Sumter County.”
Sumter Development Board Chairman Greg A. Thompson said in the release that the impact of small businesses such as Monti on Sumter’s economy is critical to its future.
“We know that about 90 percent of new investments come from existing companies already doing business in Sumter County,” he said. “We also know that small businesses make up the bulk of employment and investments in any community. So while the big guys and the major projects tend to get the headlines, it’s the small guys who often pull the bulk of the load.”
Sumter Mayor Joe McElveen said in the release that Monti’s planned expansion shows that Sumter remains a great place to do business.
“Those of us who have been in Sumter for a long time know what a great place it is to raise a family,” he said. “But it’s also a great place to grow a business. An existing industry expansion like Monti’s is proof that Sumter is not only doing the right things for families, but for businesses, too.”
Monti Inc.‘s main plant is in Cincinnati, Ohio, its Web site states, and offers a range of services to the electrical industry. Monti Inc. also has a Greenwood facility that specializes in copper and steel fabrication, and a sister company — Wm. F. McGraw — in Riverview, Mich., that specializes in electrical insulation.
Contact Staff Writer Joe Perry at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or (803) 774-1272.