Waterlogic USA to establish North American HQ in Grapevine, create over 160 new jobs
Waterlogic USA, Inc., a global manufacturer of drinking water dispensers, will establish its new North American Headquarters in Grapevine, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Friday morning.
The project is expected to create 164 jobs and more than $1.6 million in capital investment, according to a news release. The new headquarters and Center of Excellence off of Bass Pro Drive will feature a second manufacturing plant, in addition to the company’s plant in China, and will also be where leadership will be headquartered, said Casey Taylor, the CEO of Waterlogic Americas.
“Waterlogic has been looking to have a second factory for many years, and the combination of our growth over the last few years along with the tariffs all contributed to the decision to come here to the U.S.,” Taylor said, referring to the rising tariffs on goods imported between U.S. and China.
Hiring is expected to ramp up in the next 12 to 18 months, with the first 50 to 75 employees beginning to be brought on in the coming weeks, Taylor said.
After a nationwide search that looked at cities like Reno, Nevada, and Salt Lake City, Utah, and states like Kentucky and Tennessee, Taylor said a combination of Grapevine’s affordable cost of living, labor pool, central location in the U.S. and proximity to an international airport played a role in the decision.
Previously, the company’s main offices in the U.S. were scattered between Northern California, Connecticut and Delaware, Taylor said, stressing that those operations will remain open. Based in the United Kingdom, Waterlogic has been steadily expanding in the U.S., and in 2018 acquired Pure Water Technology, which was based in Fort Worth.
Waterlogic USA, Inc. was extended a Texas Enterprise Fund grant of $524,400. The fund awards “deal-closing” grants to companies considering Texas along with at least one other out-of-state option. In addition, the project must have local support, usually in the form of local economic incentive offers, according to a page on the governor’s website that detailed business incentives.
Taylor said the grant was “a huge contributing factor” in the company’s decision.
“It makes it relatively easy to grow and be successful without draconian measures being brought upon you,” Taylor said of business-friendly incentives like the fund and lack of a personal income tax in Texas.
“Grapevine is extremely pleased to welcome Waterlogic to our community,” Bob Farley, the city of Grapevine’s director of economic development, said in a statement. “As a world class firm, Waterlogic complements our current economic base and will make important ongoing contributions to the DFW region and state of Texas tech sector.”
Established in 2003, the fund has awarded grants to companies that have located in Texas, such as Apple and Hulu. And Grapevine was the destination of the first company Abbott ever awarded a grant through the fund, with the Kubota Tractor and Credit Corporation awarded $3.8 million to relocate to Texas from California in 2015.
”The Texas economy continues to grow and become more diversified thanks to companies like Waterlogic,” Abbott said in a statement. “This latest investment is a testament to the free-market policies that have made Texas the best state in the nation for economic opportunity.”
But the fund has faced pushback in the past, with House lawmakers passing a version of the state budget that stripped funding for it in 2017. Since the fund’s founding, over $600 million has been awarded to over 160 projects, with the commitment of creating over 94,000 jobs, according to a 2019 legislative report. The North Texas region is one of the biggest benefactors of the fund.
This story was originally published December 6, 2019 at 11:37 AM.
