Mason Mayor David Nichols said they flew the company’s representatives around the region in a helicopter to show them what was available, brought in local corporate CEOs to talk them and even had the local schools on board for the effort.
“They said it was all about quality of life,” he said. “I think it’s a company that is very, very employee friendly, they care about the well-being of their employees, they made that clear from day one. I think while the incentive packages were comparable, when it all came down to it, it was the location and they were impressed with the coordinated effort of the whole community.”
Festo CEO Richard Huss said Mason was in competition with Erlanger, Ky., for their facility, but it was the feedback from current employees, who were brought in for a site visit, that became one of the deciding factors.
“We brought in a number of employees as well to Mason and they really liked the area,” he said. “At the end of the day that was probably as much of the overriding decision.”
Huss said they were looking for a location that would get them closer to their clients and the Cincinnati area in general. Mason in particular, with its proximity to two main expressways, was ideal, he said.
The facility should be open in 2015 and at that point they plan to have about 250 employees, but Huss said they also hope to grow. Pay for the employees will range from $12 to $14 an hour up to about $30 an hour for most of the jobs.
Mason has experienced a huge economic boom over the past year or so, adding about 500 new jobs. The city’s income tax revenue jumped $2.2 million as a result of all the new jobs.
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