ITU AbsorbTech, the largest Wisconsin-based supplier of environmentally friendly industrial absorbents, towels, mats, garments, will make a $24.5 million capital investment in JeffMet McCalla. (Provided)
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By Barnett Wright | The Birmingham Times
The Jefferson County Commission on Thursday agreed to abate non-educational sales taxes for a Wisconsin-based industrial laundry to locate in Jefferson Metropolitan Park in McCalla.
ITU AbsorbTech, the largest Wisconsin-based supplier of environmentally friendly industrial absorbents, towels, mats, garments, will make a $24.5 million capital investment in JeffMet McCalla and create nearly 40 jobs paying an average of nearly $30 an hour, according to county officials.
The construction of a new 50,000-square facility could begin by early 2026 and would be the first location for the company in the state of Alabama. County officials say they won the project other three other states.
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“We’re excited to welcome ITU AbsorbTech’s $24.5 million investment to Jefferson County,” said Commissioner Mike Bolin, the Commission liaison to Economic Development. “This project brings high-quality jobs averaging nearly $30 an hour and showcases the strength of our industrial assets like the JeffMet property.”
Supporting the project with a 10-year sales and use tax abatement “is a smart investment in our workforce, our economy, and our future growth,” Bolin said.
He continued, “Bringing this facility to the JeffMet property means we are leveraging one of our key industrial assets — strategically located and built to attract companies who are ready to hit the ground running. This kind of project not only creates direct employment, but generates meaningful ripple effects.”
Jeff Traywick, the Jefferson County Commission’s Economic Development Advisor, said the goal is “to assist companies that are going to move the needle when it comes to the local economy tax creation but most importantly job and wages.”
The average wage in Jefferson County runs about $27 an hour and ITU AbsorbTech pays $30 and even that “moves that needle a little bit, and every time we do that it shifts things a little bit more,” he explained, “ … so as we recruit more of these companies those overall wages tend to pick up and we seen good results with that and this is what those companies will help impact.”
The estimated economic return over the life of the project to the county’s would generate $522,000 to the county’s general fund and $1.4 million to education, Traywick said.
Bringing this facility to the JeffMet property “means we are leveraging one of our key industrial assets — strategically located and built to attract companies who are ready to hit the ground running,” Bolin said. “This kind of project not only creates direct employment, but generates meaningful ripple effects.”
The agreement brings a number of benefits for the county, Bolin said. “We’re making a commitment to our residents: better jobs, stronger tax base over time, and a reaffirmation that Jefferson County remains open for business and is ready to compete for high‑value, job‑creating projects.”
