J.G. Petrucci Co. Inc. said it started construction on a 30,000-square-foot specialized manufacturing facility in Forks Township for Silbrico Corp., a Hodgkins, Ill.-based company that chose the property for its second location.
Silbrico closed on the land sale earlier this month and hired J.G. Petrucci of Hanover Township, Northampton County, to perform all development and construction components of the project, according to a news release.
Northampton County property records show Silbrico bought the property at 4250 Braden Blvd. East from Lehigh Valley Brennan Farm LP for nearly $1.4 million.
The project will go up in Forks Business Center on a 7-acre parcel, slated for completion later this year.
Silbrico, a perlite manufacturer, will hire for 25 jobs at the site when it opens.
Perlite is a mineral used across a variety of industries in applications including insulation, coatings, textures, and cosmetics.
The manufacturer said it would use proprietary manufacturing techniques and stringent quality control procedures to offer its range of products.
Jeffry Jones, senior vice president of NAI DiLeo-Bram & Co., of Piscataway, N.J., represented Silbrico in the transaction.
Cerminara Architect of Hillsborough Township, N.J., designed the project, and J.G. Petrucci’s in-house construction team, Iron Hill Construction Management, will build it.
Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. had been communicating with Silbrico for more than two years and provided the company with economic data about the region and information about the labor market, said Colin McEvoy, communications director for the economic development organization.
LVEDC spends a lot of time talking about the desire companies have for smaller manufacturing spaces in the region and urging developers to establish these spaces, he said. He also remarked on the fact that an out-of-state company chose the site for its second location.
“I think this speaks to the strength of the manufacturing sector in the Lehigh Valley,” McEvoy said.
