Ken De La Bastide, The Herald Bulletin
August 9, 2023
ANDERSON — The Anderson Redevelopment Commission has voted to provide $2 million for the locating of a new company in Anderson.
FITT USA is locating on the former Guide Division parking lot on Raible Avenue.
The property contains about 30 acres and is zoned for industrial use.
The company will manufacture garden hoses, tubing and pipes from material being furnished by Sirmax located in Anderson.
Matt Franklin with Levin Porter Associates said the company wanted it to be appear as a modern industrial facility facing Raible Avenue.
He said the Anderson location will be the North American headquarters for FITT USA.
“There were a lot of reasons they wanted to be located near Sirmax,” Franklin said of the proximity of material used in the manufacturing process.
Franklin said the 150,000 square foot building is the first phase and the plans are for future expansion of up to 250,000 square feet by 2032.
Construction is expected to start by October and the hiring for 104 new jobs will begin in approximately one year.
Franklin said the company will not be discharging any material into the air and water will be recycled with no wastewater discharge.
Greg Winkler, executive director of the Anderson Economic Development Department, said the company is making an initial investment of $20 million and the annual payroll will be $4.4 million.
He said the $2 million being provided will be in the form of a bond and over the next decade the company will pay approximately $4.4 million in property taxes. The starting salary will be $42,000 plus benefits.
Winkler said there are employment levels for the hiring of local residents built into the contract.
Last week the Anderson Plan Commission unanimously approved a primary plat for FITT USA.
FITT’s website states it is a leading global company started in 1969 in Italy and is a pioneer in the production and development solutions for the transfer of fluids.
FITT USA purchased the property from the RACER Trust in December for $200,000. The Racer Trust was formed to sell the former General Motors property in Anderson on the brownfield sites.
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