Jonesboro, October 23, 2019--Almost exactly two years after making the announcement that Risever was going to build a new steel fabrication facility in Jonesboro, the company celebrated its Grand Opening in style on October 23.
“This is a day of celebration and a remarkable occasion for Risever,” said Risever General Manager Yonggang Lai, “It also marks our start of trial production. We will remain consistent with our business plan, ensuring that 20.5 million dollars of investment are in place.”
Risever is a family-owned company based in Hefei, China. Risever has three additional plants in China that employs over 1,000 people.
Jonesboro is now home to Risever’s first facility in the United States. Risever’s move to Jonesboro began in 2016 with an initiative called “Made in the USA.” The company spent more than a year investigating possible sites, starting with 70 cities in five states before choosing Jonesboro.
“Today marks over two years of hard work between Risever, The Arkansas Economic Development Commission, and Jonesboro Unlimited,” said Jonesboro Unlimited’s Mark Young, “Recruiting companies like Risever is an essential part of our five-year strategic plan to create 2,500 direct, new, high-paying jobs in Jonesboro. We are glad to see this family-owned company take this exciting step.”
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson was the keynote speaker for the event. Hutchinson, an advocate for bringing Chinese investment to Arkansas, was obviously excited to see the Risever project take this step.
“We’re thrilled that the Risever plant is in production. It is one of several Chinese companies that are choosing to locate in Arkansas thanks in large part to our skilled workforce and low business costs. Because foreign investment is vital to our state’s economic health, we hope that other companies across the world will see the advantages Arkansas has to offer,” Hutchinson said.
Jonesboro Mayor Harold Perrin echoed the Governor’s feelings.
“This is great for Jonesboro, as it represents good-paying jobs and opportunities for our residents. We are honored that through the hard work of Governor Hutchinson and the Lai family that Jonesboro is now Risever’s new home. They selected Jonesboro over 70 other communities, and we are proud to welcome our new friends in their mission to make heavy machinery parts in America.”
Construction on the 125,000 square foot building, designed by A2H Architects and constructed by Forcum Lannom Construction, began in September 2018 and features a 112,000 square foot factory floor and 13,000 square feet of office space.
Risever expects to begin trial production immediately with plans for the first orders to start shipping in early 2020.
