Luke Edwards / Niagara This Week

New business industrial park

The industrial park in Port Colborne has received a new neighbour.

On the Road Machining has entered into a sales agreement with the City of Port Colborne to purchase a small piece of land on Invertose Drive. The deal is for $20,000, for two acres of land, and will see the Sherkston-based company build a roughly 6,200 square foot building on the property.

The business provides mobile maintenance in the machining and fabricating industry throughout North and South America. The new building marks an expansion for On the Road Machining, with owner Jason Pruyn saying they’ve outgrown their current shop.

“We’re a little too small where we are now,” he said.

The plan is to start building the new shop as soon as possible, he added. For the time being it’s a space issue, but Pruyn said they do plan to hire in the future.

Port Colborne designated roughly 30 acres for the development in the industrial park. With the On the Road Machining deal that leaves 23 acres for sale.

“There’s still plenty of access to lands to the east and north,” said director of planning and development Dan Aquilina.

But general manager and director of economic development, tourism and marketing Stephen Thompson said the deal will rule out a few other potential deals with businesses that were looking for the full 25-30 acres of land available.

“I guess we’ve got one in the hand, and couple in the bush,” said Ward 1 Coun. Dave Elliott.

Mayor Vance Badawey said while the large companies provide a nice boon to the economy, the city has been getting a lot of interest in the small- to mid-sized companies that employ 30-40 people. And that’s the direction in which the economy is moving.