Another industrial facility in Portage County is about to be up and running.
Geis Companies of Streetsboro has finished construction on a massive manufacturing facility in Ravenna for LG America. LG Chem Ohio is a 240,000-square-foot facility consisting of two separate buildings: the three-story, 100,000-square-foot Customer Solutions Building and the single-story, 148,000-square-foot Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) Compounding Building.
The project, located at 310 Rayann Pkwy. off North Chestnut Street, was awarded to Geis in February 2022, and construction began soon after.
LG Corporation, based in Seoul, South Korea, makes electronics, chemicals, household appliances and telecommunications products and operates several subsidiaries, including LG Chem.
“The team at Geis was thrilled with the opportunity to work with the innovators at LG,” said Conrad Geis, president of Geis Companies, in a statement. “Utilizing the preliminary design package from LG, adjusting it to meet local building codes while factoring in the regional weather conditions was a challenge that we not only embraced but were excited for.”
The 100,000-square-foot Customer Solutions Building is clad with 24- and 36-inch insulated panels. The southwest corner of the building is constructed with floor-to-ceiling glass, while the roof is a TPO system over metal decking. The interior of the building features a two-story reception area, a large lounge, a gallery, and three private reception rooms highlighted by a 6,500-square-foot skylight-lit atrium.
The 148,000-square-foot ABS Compounding Building consists of five pre-engineered steel structures with a mezzanine and external storage silos and tanks. The building also includes a fitness room, employee cafeteria and multiple labs for testing, inspection and weighing of the ABS compounds.
Due to the imminent delivery of manufacturing materials from LG, the Geis team worked to complete the warehouse portion of the project first, pouring the slab and getting it under the roof. Geis had to procure many of the materials locally to execute the first phase of construction efficiently, while also assisting in the coordination of 80 shipping containers of equipment and materials from South Korea and Italy.
One issue that arose early in the project was the discovery that the buildings’ power was not sufficient for operation. Geis and FirstEnergy worked together to engineer a transmission line and substation that is now owned by LG and will power the facility.
“The end result speaks for itself and we look forward to continuing to welcome LG to the community for years to come,” Conrad Geis said.
Tom Hardesty is a Portager sports columnist. He was formerly assistant sports editor at the Record-Courier and author of the book Glimpses of Heaven.