Paul’s Fan Company

Paul’s Fan Company Expanding, Bringing New Jobs to Constitutional Oaks Industrial Park

The company plans a new division in Lee County — Paul’s Automation and Controls — which will focus on programmable logic controllers, soft starts and other electrical and electronic gear to support the operation of fans. The Lee County site will also be utilized as a service and

repair facility. Its proximity to existing Paul’s Fan Company customers located in Tennessee and Kentucky was one of the factors in the Lee County site being chosen.

An up to $1.025 million loan to Paul’s Fan Company was approved by the VCEDA board last Thursday when the board met in Lebanon. The company plans to invest at least $2.41 million in its private investment for site development, building improvements, utilities/roads and equipment.

“We are delighted to be here in Lee County today to announce a new business for Lee County and the new jobs it will bring to the Constitutional Oaks Industrial Park,” said VCEDA Executive Director/General Counsel Jonathan Belcher. “We are also happy to announce that as Paul’s Fan Company was looking at expanding, they were also considering a location in Tennessee but ultimately decided they would expand here in Virginia.”

The loan will be used to finance the purchase of the shell building and land from the Lee County EDA and to assist with the build-out and completion of the shell building, the purchase of equipment, machinery and tools and other related improvements. The company plans three full-time jobs within the first year; 12 full-time jobs within five years; and 15 full-time jobs within 10 years.

VCEDA and the Lee County EDA have been working with Paul’s Fan Company on this expansion project for several months.

“We are all very pleased and excited to welcome Paul’s Fan Company into the Constitutional Oaks Industrial Park here in Lee County,” said Greg Edwards, chairman of the Lee County Economic Development Authority. “Paul’s Fan Company has a proven record of success in Southwest Virginia and we look forward to the job creation and continued success of the company.”

The Constitutional Oaks industrial shell building which the company will utilize is an approximately 60,000 square foot metal industrial building. The Lee County EDA will sell the building and approximately 16 acres of land to Paul’s Fan Company and the company will finish out and complete the building to meet its needs and specifications.

“We believe our expansion project to Lee County will help us to become more competitive in this geographical area and it will also serve as the hub for our new automation and controls division,” said Todd Elswick, president of Paul’s Fan Company. “We appreciate the assistance from VCEDA and the Lee County Economic Development Authority on this expansion project and we look forward to becoming a new business here in Lee County.”

He added that the Lee County operation will help support the expansion and jobs announced in Buchanan County by securing additional product sales for the manufacturing taking place there.