YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A $400,000 expansion at Gulu Electrical Contractors Inc. should be completed by fall, if not sooner, a city official predicted.
Members of the city’s Board of Control, which met Thursday morning, approved entering into a development agreement and Ohio enterprise zone agreement with Gulu and Crescent Street Properties.
Under the agreements, the city will provide a 10-year, 75% property tax abatement to support construction of two additional buildings at 832 W. Rayen Ave. to accommodate business expansion. Gulu, 1295 Crescent St., provides electrical contracting services for commercial and residential projects and has done work in Ohio, western Pennsylvania, southeastern Florida and other areas, according to the company’s website.
“They just needed some more warehouse space to store material and equipment,” said Stephanie Gilchrist, Youngstown economic development director. The company is looking to have the work completed by fall, “if not sooner,” she said.
According to the Board of Control agenda, Gulu plans to add three full-time and three part-time employees over the next three years. Gilchrest said she could not say specifically what is driving the company’s expansion but pointed to the various construction projects underway in the region.
“I’m sure that is catapulting growth for a lot of our contracting companies,” she said. “When they submitted their application, they just shared with us their interest in continuing to stay within the city of Youngstown and just to grow internally as close to their current space and headquarters as possible.”
Gulu representatives were not available to comment before publication.
Pictured at top: A building at 832 W. Rayen Ave., Youngstown.