CLINTON, Iowa – Construction of a new $224 million Atlas Roofing Corp. plant is moving forward in this community.
Atlas company leaders gave an update on Friday, Dec. 15, on the plant’s construction. If all goes according to plan, the asphalt shingle manufacturing plant will be open in about two years and cover much of 148 acres of a field near Clinton.
Ken Roberts, president of Atlas Roofing, gave these details in providing an update on the plant’s construction:
- The site has been cleared and prepared, including excavation and grading.
- Storm sewer is about 80% done.
- Sanitary sewer is about 50% done.
- Underground infrastructure (gas and water) is in progress and on track.
- Railway and roadway footprints are cut and prepped for construction.
- The building pad is to grade and prepped for foundation work to begin in the second quarter of 2024.
“As a greenfield plant, we remain committed to environmental sustainability. We are considerate of our effects of construction practices and are working on incorporating energy-efficient and environmentally responsible technologies into this facility,” Mr. Roberts said in a news release.
Mr. Roberts gave the recent update on the project as part of the company’s plan to routinely update company officials on the project.
The new plant, first announced in April, was at the center of attention during a ground-breaking ceremony in August that attracted more than 50 people from Atlas, its parent company Hood Industries, and the local business community.
That ceremony was held on the site of the future plant in the Lincolnway Industrial Rail & Air Park. The Atlas Roofing plant will be on the south side of Highway 30, next to O.T. R. Tire Sales & Repair, and directly across the highway from the Clinton Municipal Airport.
Here are some of the numbers surrounding the new project:
- The new Atlas plant will hire between 100 to 120 employees once it is open.
- Wages are expected to begin at $19.57 an hour.
- The plant is being built on 148 acres and the facility itself will be at least 400,000 square feet. Atlas said the plant size could expand to 500,000 square feet if business conditions warrant the growth.
- The plant is expected to open in 2025.
- The Atlas expansion project has been in the works for about a year. It has been often referred to as “Project New Horizon” by economic development leaders during the planning stages.
