With the strike of six shovels, Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS) broke ground on its new 110,000-square-foot Engineering and Technology Center in Hilliard on Monday.
ADS plans to invest $65 million into the center, which will allow the company to consolidate its product development and testing operations and manufacturing engineering development into one central location.
The 17-acre site is located at Lyman Drive and Davidson Road, west of ADS’ Trueman Boulevard headquarters.
It’s the latest chapter in the company’s “American success story,” said ADS President and CEO Scott Barbour, noting that the expansion will be “in Hilliard, our hometown.”
ADS was founded more than 60 years ago by two engineers who saw an opportunity to develop new ways to manage water in corn and soybean fields. Now, the company is a leader in storm water and septic wastewater management — creating systems under homes, businesses, agricultural friends, and roadways all over the world.
Additionally, the company is the largest plastic recycler in North America. Last year, ADS recycled 600 million pounds of plastic, said Barbour.
ADS helps cities throughout the country, including the City of Hilliard, achieve their sustainability goals, noted Hilliard City Manager Michelle Crandall. Nearly 40 percent of Hilliard lies within the Big Darby Watershed — one of the most bio-diverse waterways in the country.
“As we look to envision the development of this sensitive portion of our city, including our soon-to-be constructed 135-acre Recreation and Wellness campus, we are so extremely fortunate to have ADS as both a corporate resident and a corporate partner, helping to guide our efforts and realize our environmental vision,” Crandall said.
The new ADS facility is expected to open for operations in late 2023 and to be completed in early 2024. Two hundred new jobs will be created in the Hilliard community as part of the investment.
“We look forward to supporting the company’s growth over the coming years as ADS creates a cleaner, greener tomorrow from their expanded home in the City of Hilliard,” Crandall said.
Also in attendance was Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted, who praised the company’s journey from start-up to national leader.
“Ohio is a state on the rise and it’s because of great companies like you,” said Husted.
