Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis toured the Wheatland Tube facility Thursday afternoon to scope out the site of over $100 million in investments by parent company Zekelman Industries.

"Today, what we saw is a great company investing in American workers and investing in American steel," Davis noted.

The steel tube manufacturing company recently completed a galvanizing line, and is in the process of constructing a fully automated warehouse.

"We compete against imports from all over the world into the U.S. market, day in and day out," President of the Wheatland Tube Pipe Unit Kevin Kelly said. "The leadership of our company is very committed to upgrading our equipment so it's state of the art equipment in the U.S."

Kelly adds, the company believes that adding automation to the warehouse will improve safety and efficiency for existing employees, while compensating for a shrinking workforce.

Following the tour, Lt. Gov. Davis was joined by local and state officials for a a ceremony congratulating the Borough of Wheatland on its January 2024 merge with the City of Hermitage.

Adding the Borough and its industrial neighborhood is expected to bring a number of business growth and economic opportunities along with it, including lower property taxes for Wheatland residents.

"I think all the way around, everybody wins from this merger," Hermitage Director of Business and Development Mark Longietti said. "The city has robust services. We have a full-time professional manager, we can help businesses grow, we can help residents with amenities, recreation camps for kids, etcetera. So it really is a win-win, all the way around."