The Sweetwater Economic Development Coalition (SEDC) and Wyoming Business Council recently announced that Kel-Tec CNC Industries, a firearm manufacturing company, will begin production from a facility in Sweetwater County.
KelTec is expanding its production capacity with the acquisition of a 33,000 square foot facility in Rock Springs, augmenting its 125,000 square foot industrial space in Cocoa, Florida, the SEDC explained.
“I am thrilled to be a part of this new adventure in our story,” stated Adrian Kellgren, KelTec’s director of industrial production. “Wyoming has a rich history as part of the American frontier and it’s fitting for our brand, being that we constantly explore the limits of performance and design, to expand out here.”
The new facility will focus on cutting edge manufacturing technology, next generation research and development, and production of the newest trend-setting firearms available, according to the press release.
“We are excited to welcome KelTec to Sweetwater County. The Sweetwater Economic Development Coalition is committed to continuing the relationship that we have built with the team at KelTec as they begin the process of expanding into Rock Springs,” stated Kayla McDonald, economic development specialist for the SEDC.
While the company’s initial start-up will be small, the facility is designed to grow up to 250+ employees across multiple industrial disciplines.
“We are very excited about KelTec selecting Rock Springs as the site to expand their business,” said Wyoming Business Council CEO Josh Dorrell. “KelTec brings very innovative designs and cutting-edge manufacturing to a community with a ready and able workforce as well as a community college that does a great job of supporting industry training needs. We feel very confident that KelTec will thrive in our great state.”
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon expressed his support for the KelTec facility in a Facebook post after the announcement was made.
“In Wyoming, we value our open spaces, recreation, and hunting and proudly defend our 2nd Amendment rights. Because of those values and our business-friendly environment I am pleased to welcome KelTec firearms to Rock Springs,” Gordon wrote. “This announcement builds on our successful track record of recruiting firearm manufacturing businesses to our great state. My administration will continue to work collaboratively with the Wyoming Business Council and the Sweetwater Economic Development Coalition to ensure KelTec’s Wyoming expansion goes smoothly.”
Green River Mayor Pete Rust also shared his excitement about the announcement, saying “this is a big win for the Sweetwater Economic Development Coalition (SEDC), the City of Rock Springs, the City of Green River and all of Sweetwater County.”
Rust said the inter-governmental partnership of entities investing in the SEDC is paying off, and getting this first major win is one that will help set the stage for the others that are on the radar. He also mentioned, “with the recent expansions of our trona mines, the new solution mine that is part of Sisecam, and the introduction this week of the Carbon Capture company currently looking at Sweetwater County, economic development is on the move right here at home.”
Carbon Capture presented their project idea to the Sweetwater County Commission during the July 19 meeting and are touring and meeting the people of Sweetwater County. Rust said outside companies looking to relocate to Sweetwater County is a testament “to our quality of life, our community, our amenities, and our people. We need to continue to invest in ourselves and our infrastructure to meet the needs of this development and our future.”
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