AJW Architectural Products, a New York State-based company, has decided on Comfort, Texas as the site for their newest manufacturing/ warehouse facility after several months of site searches throughout Texas.
“The rural setting of Comfort, the affordable property with infrastructure readily available, the people and businesses of the area with a ‘can-do’ attitude, plus the assistance of the Boerne Kendall County Economic Development Corporation (BKEDC) made the decision easy for us to select Kendall County and the Comfort site,” said AJW COO John Nichols.
Nichols also said the BKCEDC was especially helpful in acquiring an incentive package from the State and from Kendall County that helped not only in the decision of the location, but helped cover some of the unexpected costs associated with the construction. “The knowledge the EDC team provided about the area, the necessary permits and the incentives available was very helpful in our fast-tracking the project once the decision was made to select Comfort,” Nichols said.
The company will build one of the largest manufacturing/warehouse businesses in Kendall County and surrounding counties. The first phase will be a manufacturing/office/warehouse with approximately 150,000 square feet under one roof. This phase will employ an estimated 120 individuals in various work capacities when fully ramped up. A second phase will begin as the market dictates, but hopefully begin within the next five years.
Dan Rogers, President/CEO of BKCEDC, stated that the arrival of AJW is especially significant in that the company will be closing a factory in China and bringing those jobs to the Comfort facility. “It will be great to see an American company relocating to the U.S., creating U.S. jobs and stamping ‘Made in the USA’ on the product,” Rogers said.
Kendall County Judge Darrel Lux said he and the members of Commissioners Court were very pleased to work alongside the BKCEDC in bringing AJW to Kendall County. “This is the type of manufacturing facility we would like to see come to Kendall County,” said Lux. “The Company has been a very good corporate citizen from the day they told us they were coming. They have made every effort to hire local companies and individuals in the construction phase, and have been meeting with the Comfort ISD and local leaders of the community to see if there are opportunities where AJW can be of help. We all want to thank AJW for choosing Kendall County and Comfort.”
AJW Architectural Products of New Windsor, New York has been manufacturing Division 10 Specialties for nearly 50 years. The company manufactures a complete line of Washroom Accessories, Washroom Partitions, Metal Lockers and Visual Display Products.
Over the years, AJW has provided products for facilities such as the Pentagon, Denver International Airport, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, multiple major league sports venues, and thousands of other high-profile projects.