HAHIRA, Ga. — Metal Benderz announced it will relocate from Marietta bringing 20 jobs to Lowndes County.

And it plans to increase both the number of jobs and the amount of its investment in the future.

The announcement for the new Hahira business came Thursday during the Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority called meeting.

Metal Benderz is a cold-formed, steel-frame design, engineering, fabrication company, said Heath Wolford, general manager.

The company plans to make a $1.5 million investment into the old Wire Company building, 7491 Sonny Rogers Memorial Drive, in the Hahira Business Park.

Along with the announcement, the development authority approved a development agreement for $55,000, said Andrea Schruijer, executive director of the development authority. The money is to help Metal Benderz offset the cost of retrofitting the 62,000-square-foot facility to fit its operating needs.

Metal Benderz chose Hahira because of the work the development authority put into helping the company find a building and the workforce development opportunities, Wolford said.

“We chose Hahira because of the workforce here that we can use through (Wiregrass Technical College),” Wolford said. “The Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority worked very hard to help us find a building that had overhead cranes, that was large enough space and had plenty enough room for future expansion.”

The company claims it has plans for future expansions. Metal Benderz plans to invest an additional $3.5 million in Hahira and develop an additional 30 jobs, bringing the job count for the company to about 50.

Tom Call, chairman of the development authority, said the business is already in talks with Wiregrass about starting a program to help develop a workforce of welders, draftsmen and engineers the company will need.

“Wiregrass will learn exactly what the company needs,” Call said. “It will special tailor a training program specifically designed for Metal Benderz. Metal Benderz will send its employees, or future employees through the Wiregrass program, and when they get done with the program they can get right to work at Metal Benderz doing exactly what they will be doing on the job.”

The old Wire Company building has sat empty for about 10 years, according to authority officials. By putting a new business in an empty lot, it will bring the property back onto the tax roll, which will benefit the city and the county, Call said.

Hahira Mayor Bruce Cain said he is excited for Metal Benderz to come to the city and knows the company will have a positive impact on the town’s economy and workforce.

Lowndes County Commission Chairman Bill Slaughter said he is excited to see a “great company” come to Lowndes County.

“We are very excited about having them in Lowndes County, and we look forward to having a great relationship with them in the future,” Slaughter said.

Call said the move to Hahira helps poise South Georgia for future business opportunities.

“It shows that South Georgia is ready to accommodate a (multitude) of businesses, and we have an environment here that is conducive for small business to come here and expand their operations or create a new operation in this case,” Call said.

Metal Benderz started in South Georgia about 20 years ago, Wolford said. He said he is glad to bring the company back to its roots.

“We’re glad to move (Metal Benderz) back to South Georgia,” Wolford said. “We started doing this down here 20 years ago. And we are just glad we had the investors that were willing to work with us and bring us back into South Georgia. We look forward to working with Wiregrass giving us a good workforce of people. The Hahira community has already reached out to us, so we couldn’t have asked for a better place.”

Metal Benderz is finishing renovations to its new building and plans to be fully operational by the beginning of June. 

Jason Smith is a reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be contacted at 229-244-3400 ext.1257.