St. George— The St. George, UT office of Colliers International would like to announce that RS Technologies Inc. purchased the former Viracon facility in the Fort Pierce Industrial Park. RS Technologies Inc. contacted the St. George Area Economic Development looking for opportunities to establish a manufacturing and office facility in Southern Utah. They were looking for a location that would meet their growing customer base in the western United States. The increased demand meant that this private manufacturing company needed to quickly identify a location for the manufacturing of its high-performance composite utility poles. 

Once Doug and Troy Scheel of Colliers International caught wind of the company’s potential expansion, they reached out to the St. George Economic Development team to help identify the perfect fit for RS Technologies Inc. Troy stated, “We were lucky to deliver the perfect location for RS to expand.” The former Viracon facility in Fort Pierce has well over 230,000 square feet of prime manufacturing space with 29’ clear heights and extensive power options. RS Technologies Inc. is a technology-driven company that designs, engineers and manufactures composite utility poles. These high-performance poles are used in transmission, distribution and communication applications and offer a lighter, more durable and longer-lasting solution over wood, steel, and concrete alternatives. In many instances, the environmentally friendly poles deliver the lowest total installed and lifecycle cost solution of any pole on the market. With installations dating back to 2003, RS has installations with over 400 customers in 25 countries. 

Doug Scheel with Colliers International stated “It was disheartening when we learned that Viracon was vacating their facility and relocating to one of their other locations, taking some employees and furloughing others. We had a real loss to the community. Now with the opportunity to sell the property to RS Technologies Inc., we have a new chapter and sense of excitement coming to our community. This new company is engaged in the utility business and may not be as negatively impacted by some of the obstacles we are currently experiencing with the COVID-19 pandemic. They are bringing job opportunities and economic benefits to Southern Utah. We appreciate the opportunity to have assisted them in the process. It shows the world that Southern Utah is resilient, we have great employees and landscapes that bring these great companies to our communities.”

RS Technologies Inc. will invest over $35MM in the property and create approximately 350 new jobs over the coming years. The Economic Development Corporation of Utah is elated that RS chose to locate to St. George. “RS uses proprietary processes to design, engineer and manufacture nearly indestructible composite utility poles. We’re thrilled they’ve chosen to expand their operations in St. George, Utah,” said Val Hale, GOED’s executive director. “They chose Utah due to the company’s growing customer base in the western U.S., and because of its pro-business environment. We welcome RS to Utah and appreciate the good jobs they’re bringing to Utahns.” (link) 

Troy Scheel with Colliers International added “We are excited RS chose to locate in St. George, UT. The former Viracon facility in the Fort Pierce Industrial Park is the perfect fit for their manufacturing requirements. We are grateful for the opportunity to have worked on this project and to have played a role in helping to bring manufacturing jobs to the area.  It’s quite remarkable to see RS expand during the current pandemic we are facing. We are very fortunate to have built relationships with the team at RS and help them as their boots on the ground while traveling has been uncertain. I think this deal adds to the growing list of reasons why people and companies want to be in St. George, UT.” The Utah market continues to be a prime location for manufacturing companies looking to expand and relocate their operations. With an amazing talent pool, strong economics, and industrial infrastructure; companies like RS Technologies Inc. will flourish in Utah.