Essex County concrete company expansion driven, owner says, by optimism over local economy

The owner of an Essex County concrete company says his decision to invest millions in a new concrete plant reflects his optimism about the region's economy.

John Vanderwerf says Lakeshore Concrete's new facility, set to open in early 2025, will produce up to 200 cubic metres of concrete per hour at peak times, doubling the company's current capacity.

He expects to add around 30 to 35 employees to help run the plant and transport the additional product, he said.

"I'm as excited as I get," Vanderwerf told CBC.

"I'm a pretty pragmatic sort of person. So, that's what my wife would say anyway."

Growing population, new bridgefeeding optimism

Vanderwerf saidhis feelings of bullishness derive from projected new employment and inward migration to the area, which will create a demand for housing, strip malls and other resources for a growing population, he said.

"We also have some other major construction projects that are slated to begin in this area," he added.

"You've got a new hospital that's going to be built."

And the region will also benefit from the opening ofthe Gordie Howe Bridge, Vanderwerf said.

The director of business retention and expansion for Invest Windsor said Vanderwerf is not the only business person feeling optimistic about the regional economy.

"Certainly there are many more people moving to this area," Wendy Stark said.

"Anybody that's involved in construction certainly will benefit."

Companies like Lakeshore are among the leaders of the pack when it comes to expansion in the region, she said. But other businesses are in various stages of making similar investments.

"There's just been so many positive news stories about the region as well," Stark said, noting that the Conference Board of Canada has projected Windsor to have the strongest growth among major Canadian cities for the next three years.

'Ageneral positive outlook about our future'

But Lakeshore's decision to build the new concrete plant isn't just about scaling up to meet projected demand, Vanderwerf said; it's also about competing in a market increasingly concerned with companies' carbon footprints.

The new facilitywill produce pre-mix cement, a type that is mixed using electric motors at the plant instead of in diesel powered cement trucks en route to a site, he explained.

"I'd like to think there'll also be some opportunities as architects start to become more aware of the carbon footprint of the different materials that they're using for their structures to specify, if available, we'd rather have concrete from a plant that's a premixed plant than a plant that's a dry-mix plant," Vanderwerf said.

The 30 to 35 new employees Lakeshore will be looking to hire will mostly be truck drivers needed to transport increased quantities of cement, he added.

And he says he hopesthe new facility will help make the company attractive to potential new employees.