Corporation gets state tax credits to build in Heath
Behr expects to create 90 full-time positions
HEATH – Behr Process Corporation, which supplies architectural paint and exterior wood care products to U.S. and Canadian do-it-yourself markets, received state tax credits to build a 320,000-square foot facility in Heath.
The Santa Ana, California-based company expects to create 90 fulltime positions, generating $4.4 million in new annual payroll at 1201 James Parkway, on the Central Ohio Aerospace and Technology Center campus.
The Ohio Tax Credit authority approved a 1.380%, seven-year Job Creation Tax Credit for the project.
Heath Mayor Mark Johns said the company plans to invest $40 million in the building and $40 million in equipment and could expand the building by another 136,000 square feet.
Some companies obtain tax credits from multiple states before picking a location, but the mayor said, “I’m confident enough I’m talking about it.”
Phone messages left for Masco Corporation, parent company of Behr, were not retuned by presstime.
Johns said rail service is important to the company, which plans to extend the nearby rail line into a portion of the building. The promised jobs and payroll would be effective by the end of 2025, he said.
“The city looks forward to working with Behr,” Johns said. “For years, I’ve been deeply focused to grow and diversify the city manufacturing job base. The addition of Behr helps meet that goal.”
Otho Behr Jr. founded the company, then known as Linseed Oil Products, in 1947. Linseed moved from Behr’s garage to an 800 square foot Quonset hut in Pasadena, California, in 1948. Linseed Oil became Behr Process Corporation in 1954.
In 1999, after 52 years of private ownership, Behr Paint Company was acquired by Masco Corporation of Livonia, Michigan.
Behr supplies paints, primers, decorative finishes, stains, surface preparation and application products for do-it-yourselfers and professionals in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China and Chile. Masco Corporation designs, manufactures and distributes branded home improvement and building products. kmallett@newarkadvocate.com 740-973-4539
Twitter: @kmallett1958