ELECTRONICS SUPPLY COMPANY BRINGS NEW JOBS TO CITY

Mayor Don Plusquellic is requesting Akron City Council approve an ordinance that would authorize the sale of 10.6 acres of city-owned land on Massillon Road in the Akron-Springfield Township Joint Economic Development District (JEDD) to AESCO Electronics, Incorporated. The property is within the Massillon Road Industrial Park which already houses Quality Mold and will soon be home to the Longaberger Company.

AESCO, founded in 1954 as an electronics supply business, has its corporate headquarters and sales/distribution center at 107 South Arlington Street in Akron where it employs 85. The company proposes moving 50 of those employees to a new industrial building at the Massillon Road Industrial Park when construction is complete in 2002. AESCO expects to employ about 130 within five years of the facility’s opening. In addition to wholesale component distribution, AESCO now manufactures electronic wire and cable assemblies and printed circuit boards.

A recent Akron Regional Development Board analysis of Northeastern Ohio’s economic climate identified electronics control companies as an emerging cluster industry in the region. Mayor Don Plusquellic said today, "We have been working to build a portfolio of industries, or a cluster---if you will---whose businesses are reinforced by a network of customers and suppliers. AESCO’s growth here helps enhance the electronics control cluster."

The planned development consists of a 56,000 square foot manufacturing facility with an estimated construction cost of $2.5 million. AESCO also plans a $1.12 million investment in machinery and equipment. Within five years, the company anticipates building an addition of approximately 50,000 square feet onto the facility on Massillon Road.

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