“We’re going to be more than doubling our size and it’s going to be fast,” Waite said of the $6 million investment. “I see the needs that are down here.”
Pro Kleen provides mobile sanitation services, such as restrooms, showers, and laundry facilities, as well as a hydro excavation service, which is an alternative to conventional digging methods by using pressurized water and high-power vacuuming.
The Fairfield branch, which services the Cincinnati and Dayton areas, will be able to expand the services offered once the building is completed, said Waite. Right now, he said they “can’t even do the shower division or the hydro excavation division out of our facility now because we don’t have the space. We don’t have the space for the trucks, the employees.”
Pro Kleen started in 1995 in Lancaster, which is southeast of Columbus. Besides the Fairfield and central Ohio location, the company has branch offices in Piqua, Louisville, Ky., and Yuma, Ariz. Waite said they’re more than a portable restroom business. The Fairfield branch has grown since he started in December 2012 when they had maybe five drivers and five trucks.
“My boss gave me my goal to do something where we would need to (build) a bigger facility,” Waite said. “That happened like 4 years ago and we were looking all over the place.”
The company plans to start construction at the corner of Tedia Way and Bohlke Boulevard on or before July 1. All construction is expected to be done by the end of 2023, according to a Community Reinvestment Agreement between Porta Kleen and the city.
The Lancaster-headquartered company leases space on North Gilmore Road and has 22 full-time employees. The relocation will bring the total number of full-time employees by 2026 to 57 with an annual collective payroll of $2.2 million. Of the 35 new jobs to be added, 11 will be added within the first year of occupancy in the new building, according to city documents.
Fairfield Economic Development Manager Nathaniel Kaelin said city and company officials have been in discussions for more than a year.
“The company has been looking to upgrade this local operation and establish a modern and expanded facility to serve their customers throughout southwest Ohio,” he said.
The Community Reinvestment Area tax incentive will abate property taxes on the new building, once completed, for six years, Kaelin said. Porta Kleen will compensate Fairfield City Schools and Butler Tech for the loss of potential revenues during the course of the abatement, according to the deal.
“We appreciate your staying in Fairfield,’’ Mayor Mitch Rhodus said at the council meeting.