By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
More growth is on tap for Chatham-Kent as new business ventures from the GTA are looking to set up shop in Chatham’s Bloomfield Business Park.
Moving forward entails approval from Chatham-Kent with recommendations set to come before a council planning meeting Monday.
According to a report from Economic Development Services, an offer of $222,500 to purchase 2.5 acres has been made on behalf of Sumeru Kumar, owner of Zirconium Consultancy Services. The Guelph-based business offers machine safety reviews and safety and electrical upgrades for machine builders and manufacturing.
Once up and running, the high-tech operation will include an office, lab and warehouse space that will be utilized by three shareholder companies.
Partners in the venture include Zirconium, Raj Nayyar and Sumeru Kumar, owners of Attesta International Safety Certification, and Akhil Gupta, CEO of Quantum First Automation Inc.
Attesta provides electrical safety testing, inspection and field evaluation inspection to a wide range of industries.
Quantum First Automation is a manufacturer of electrical and electronic components.
The trio of companies are currently in the process of creating a single numbered company, with the owners looking to build a 30,000-sqare-foot warehouse. A portion of the warehouse is to be leased out.
Another offer to purchase three acres for $266,110 has been received from Mannat Gears and Differentials Inc. and Ontime 4 Logistics.
Ontime 4 Logistics, a dispatching and operations company, plans on employing eight full-time employees and six part-time staff.
The jobs will include shipping and receiving, forklift operators, packing, as well as an accountant and office manager.
Mannat Gears and Differentials is an auto parts manufacturer that specializes in light-duty and heavy-duty transmission gears and steering parts with an international customer base.
Mannat Gears and Differentials recently purchased a 5.5-acre parcel in the Blenheim Business Park that will see the construction of a 106,250-foot square warehouse at that site.
The Economic Development report did not indicate how many people Mannat will eventually employ.
The business plans on moving from their leased office space in Mississauga to Chatham in order to centralize its operations.
At a municipal press conference last week, Mayor Darrin Canniff said attracting the new investment goes back to laying the groundwork.
“These are good high-tech jobs that are coming here,” Canniff said, noting, “we have the land…location, location, location.”
Canniff added it’s an exciting time as people recognize Chatham-Kent is the “place to be.”
Land within the business park is currently selling for $89,000 an acre.
