Haakon Industries has announced plans to invest $19.6 million in new Asheville operations at Enka Commerce Park. The company expansion will create up to 160 new jobs in its first five years of operations.
The custom HVAC manufacturer plans to build a manufacturing plant that will serve customers across the United States. New jobs will include positions in assembly and production, machining and engineering, management, and administration.
Haakon Industries is a world leader in custom designed and manufactured air handling units for large institutional construction projects. Headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia, the company’s HVAC equipment supports infrastructure in hospitals, pharmaceutical laboratories, clean rooms, microchip manufacturers, universities, data centers, and other institutional, industrial and commercial facilities around the world. The Asheville investment reflects a strategic decision to continue to operate in vibrant communities that cultivate and invest in the strength of the local workforce.
“Haakon is excited to join the Asheville community with access to the highly skilled workforce of the region,” stated Ryan Leahy, Plant Manager for Haakon. “Haakon customers expect the highest quality air handling units, and our success is dependent on the quality of our people. That made Asheville the obvious choice, and we look forward to many years here in Western North Carolina.”
Haakon plans to break ground in 2019 in the Enka Commerce Park. The 350-acre park is strategically located near the intersection of Interstate 26 and Interstate 40, adjacent to the Western Campus of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College (A-B TECH). Haakon joins a growing number of employers revitalizing the site formerly home to Buncombe County’s largest employer, American Enka. At its peak, the Dutch rayon manufacturing campus once spanned 2,000 acres in west Buncombe County, employing over 4,000 residents.
“Haakon joins a resurgence of smart, technology-driven manufacturing in Buncombe County,” said Brownie Newman, Chairman of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. “The company investments in state-of-the-art facilities and workforce training partnerships with A-B TECH are key to strengthening economic opportunity for all of Buncombe County.”
“The commitments by Haakon Leadership will advance the important goals of the AVL 5×5 economic development plan,“ noted Janice Brumit, EDC Board Chair. “A vibrant manufacturing economy is critical to a brighter future for Asheville and Western North Carolina.”
Please visit www.haakon.com for information about career opportunities. Haakon will hold a job fair and begin hiring for the Asheville facility in 2019.