Equipment manufacturing firm moving to Piqua

A growing manufacturer is moving to Piqua and could double its employees.

Innovated Technologies is planning to move to a warehouse it bought at 9700 Looney Road, according to Tim Echemann, of Industrial Property Brokers, who brokered the real estate sale.

Innovated Technologies is an equipment manufacturing and automation systems maker.

The company specializes in plant and equipment maintenance and facility expansions.

The seller was Unity National Bank.

The building sold for $645,000, according to Miami County property records.

Innovated Technologies LLC was started by Brian Preston in 2009 in his barn in Miami County. In 2014, he leased about 8,500 square feet at 2851 Millcreek Road in Sidney.

“Sales have been growing 50 percent or so each year for the past six years and we now have 18 full-time employees and could add another 20 once we move into the new space,” Preston said in a statement.

Most of the jobs are for engineers and skilled technicians.

The 24,000-square-foot building is on about 3.3 acres.

The company should move in within 90 days.

Preston said he is investing more than $200,000 on building improvements, with the construction project led by Harlow Builders.

Industrial real estate remains tight north of Dayton.

Real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield said last quarter the vacancy rate for industrial real estate was at 7.8 percent, with the northern part of the market leading the area for the most space taken last quarter.