A new $224 million Atlas Roofing Corp. asphalt shingle manufacturing plant will soon open for business in Clinton. But the company’s impact is already being felt, according to local economic development officials.
“The ripple effects of Atlas will be felt for decades. Locally, the new jobs, the community involvement, and their family first environment has cemented them already as one of our identifiable Clinton companies,” said Matt Parbs, vice president of Grow Clinton, the economic development organization that helped bring Atlas to Clinton.
Those ripple effects are already taking shape in the Clinton area. Atlas is expected to create around 150 full-time jobs, with production and shipping employees hired in phases as the plant nears completion. Local contractors have also felt the impact, having been busy building the facility for more than two years since the August 2023 groundbreaking.
The 440,000-square-foot asphalt shingle plant sits on 148 acres in Clinton, along U.S. Highway 30 in the Lincolnway Industrial Rail & Air Park, which is designed for heavy and light industries and offers both rail and air access. “(Atlas) is bringing attention to the railpark and Clinton, and we feel it is why we are receiving numerous direct requests for information from prospective companies,” said Mr. Parbs.
Grow Clinton leaders added that with the roofing company moving to the Lincolnway Industrial Rail & Air Park, Atlas necessitated a third-party rail user in the park — Burlington Junction Railway. And Burlington is helping bring in more new businesses to Lincolnway.
“We have preached economic development is a marathon, and as such, the true impact of Atlas in Clinton will be felt over decades. In the meantime, we are super excited to see them fully operational soon,” Mr. Parbs said.
Atlas isn’t fully operational yet, but it’s getting close.
Roofing shingle production at the new Atlas facility is expected to begin by the end of the year. Full production is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2027, said Adam C. Simpson, senior director of operations at Atlas.
Mr. Simpson recently gave the QCBJ a tour of the new Atlas plant, still under construction.
“We’re happy with the progress being made here. … We have a lot of people on site getting work done,” said Mr. Simpson, referring to the many contract workers who are busy getting jobs done in the plant.
On any given day, there are around 150 contract workers at the Atlas facility. Most are employees of local companies, doing electrical, plumbing and many other jobs inside and outside the large main production building. During the tour of the facility in late April, a crew of workers was also putting a roof on a section of the building that will serve as the main office and administration center for the plant.
Crews were also hard at work getting two production lines installed in the main building. When complete, those lines will be used for making roofing shingles. On the day of the tour, workers said one line was about 50% complete; the second about 20%.
“Over the next month, the project team will be focused on completing the installation of the process equipment, process controls, and process electrical, with the goal of beginning dry commissioning by the end of the year,” Mr. Simpson said. Dry commissioning refers to testing equipment before live production begins.
During the recent tour, he pointed out many of the jobs getting done inside the new roofing plant. He said the company is using its experience at other Atlas facilities to build a state-of-the-art facility in Clinton.
“When this is done, it’s going to be the largest facility in our toolbox,” he said.
Mr. Simpson added that Atlas is using local companies for most of the work at the plant site. However, on some specialty jobs, outside workers have been brought in. For instance, a crew from Oklahoma was on site recently to set up water tanks.
“We’ve enjoyed a really good partnership with the local contractors,” Mr. Simpson added.
In addition to the partnership with local contractors, the Atlas director said the company has enjoyed a great working relationship with the Clinton community. He said Grow Clinton officials have been helpful, and so have their business neighbors. In fact, in the early days of construction, before trailers were set up at the plant site, leaders from the nearby Clinton Municipal Airport let Atlas representatives use airport facilities for company meetings.
“The community has welcomed us. They have always been very helpful. … They always ask ‘What do you need from us?’” he said.
From a single asphalt shingle manufacturing facility in 1982, Atlas has grown to 33 manufacturing facilities in North America providing worldwide product distribution. The company, based in Atlanta, also has a nearby facility in East Moline. The Clinton facility is part of the company’s Shingles, Underlayments & Ventilation division.
