Electric Specialty Manufacturing planning expansion

MARION - A more than 100-year-old Marion company is planning to expand with a new 14,000-square-foot building in the Marion Enterprise Center.

Electric Specialty Manufacturing, 2504 Fifth Ave., will break ground next Tuesday at 6451 Partners Ave. for potentially the first of three buildings. It will join ELPLAST America and Legacy Manufacturing as construction projects underway in the 184-acre industrial park.

Electric Specialty Manufacturing, which employs 12 people, was founded more than a century ago as a manufacturer of telegraph keys. As technology changed, ESM shifted its focus to become a producer of components needed to bring phone service to rural communities.

Today, the company works with various local, regional, and national customers to deliver high quality machined plastic and metal parts.

'When we began looking for land to construct this facility, we considered all options including sites outside of the community,” said co-owners Todd Heying and Jim Eipert in a joint statement. 'Our conclusion was that Marion is the best place in Iowa to grow our business.”

Nick Glew, president of the Marion Economic Development Co., said Electric Specialty Manufacturing is an example of a successful Marion business ready to reinvest and keep its roots deep in the community.

'We are proud to be a community that provides an exceptional business environment for small businesses to thrive,” Glew said. 'This facility positions ESM for another 100 years of growth in Marion.”