NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
Feb. 3, 2006

For more information contact:
Connie Ova, Jamestown Stutsman Development Corp.
701-252-6861

Julie Fedorchak
North Dakota Department of Commerce
701-328-5300
 

Winnipeg-based Manufacturer Begins Production in Jamestown

 
JAMESTOWN, N.D. – State, local and company officials today welcomed the first week of production at a new manufacturing facility in Jamestown, N.D.

One of the largest metal fabricators in western Canada, Champ Industries selected Jamestown as its first U.S. location earlier this year. The company will manufacture bus frames at its 9,000 square-foot Jamestown facility.

“We are pleased to have our first location in the United Sates be in neighboring North Dakota, and Jamestown is the right community for our company,” said Lise Baker, general manager for Champ Industries. “The community has worked hard to meet our business needs, and we look forward to a long-term relationship.”

For over 30 years, Champ Industries has delivered quality metal fabrication with superior craftsmanship to exacting specifications. This reputation is one reason the company was awarded a contract from Integris Metals. Champ Industries USA will supply parts to Integris Metals which, in turn, will assemble kits in Coon Rapids, Minn., and ship these kits to New Flyer Industries, a transit bus manufacturer in St. Cloud, Minn.

“With increasing demand from the U.S.-based customers of Champ Industries for an increase in U.S. content in their buses, North Dakota was in an enviable position to meet the expansion needs of this company,” said Shane Goettle, commissioner of the North Dakota Department of Commerce. “Working together with our local partners and the company, we were able to make the strongest case for a new operation in the state, and Jamestown fit the company’s specifications like a glove.”

The company currently has eight employees and expects to grow to 40 employees in five years. When operating at full capacity, the company will run five days a week and 16 hours per day.

“The startup of Champ Industries’ operation is another example of the exciting growth we are experiencing in the Jamestown area,” said Harvey Huber, board chair for the Jamestown Stutsman Development Corporation. “We’ve taken a proactive approach to economic development in our community and the dividends are beginning to show. This kind of positive growth will help us improve the quality of life for the people of Jamestown as well as the people of North Dakota.”

Partners on the project include: Champ Industries, Jamestown Stutsman Development Corporation, North Dakota Department of Commerce, and Job Service North Dakota.

To learn more about Champ Industries, visit  www.champindustries.ca. To learn more about the city of Jamestown, visit www.growingjamestown.com. To learn more about the Department of Commerce, visit www.growingnd.com.