On Thursday, the Grand Junction Economic Partnership (GJEP) announced that the construction, mining, engineering and management company would expand to Grand Junction and Mesa County.

The nearly 900 new jobs marks, by far, the most new jobs GJEP has ever secured for Mesa County through the recruitment of a company. The average wage of these positions will be $92,447, substantially above Mesa County’s median income.

“To say that this is a historic win for Mesa County is really an understatement,” GJEP Executive Director Curtis Englehart told The Daily Sentinel. “When you look at 893 potential jobs with an average salary of $92,000, that’s huge for our area and will be huge from an economic standpoint going forward. The economic impact is huge for us. When you look at the annual average wage in Mesa County and what these jobs will be paying on average and the concentration of jobs in our area, it’s something we haven’t seen to this size before.”

The Colorado Economic Development Commission approved more than $10 million through a performance-based Job Growth Incentive Tax Credit over eight years, dependent on its ability to meet job creation and salary requirements.

Morgan Mining is based out of Knoxville, Tennessee, but 196 of its 226 current employees live in Colorado. Through the efforts of GJEP and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), Grand Junction was able to beat out Knoxville as Morgan Mining’s preferred spot for growth.

“We’ve been working with Morgan Mining for the last several months and really working with them to make the business case on why it made sense to do the expansion in Mesa County versus Tennessee. I really think they saw the community support, the community buy-in, and just being able to work alongside OEDIT for some performance-based incentives is really what tipped the scales in our favor. They’re really pleased with what we have from a workforce perspective and from a community perspective, as well,” Englehart said.

“When you look at Grand Junction and the rich history we have in the energy industry and really on the Western Slope, that played into it a lot, as well. When you have the community’s support and buy-in for a company like this, that makes a big difference.”

Last year, Morgan Mining made its presence felt on the Western Slope through the acquisition of Delta-based Phoenix Mining. In less than a year with 150 new jobs created, Phoenix Mining outgrew its office and moved to Grand Junction.

In addition to the expansion of its Mesa County facilities, Morgan Mining plans to develop additional mining equipment maintenance and parts inventory. The company will also expand its education and training programs to address skill gaps in the mining industry.

Englehart said the company plans to move into the old Haliburton facility at 365 32 Road near Clifton. The City of Grand Junction announced this week that they would be using that same location for a new commercial recycling facility.

Englehart said the facility is large enough to accommodate both.

“There’s multiple buildings within that campus so the recycling facility would be in a different building. That campus has a bunch of big buildings on it,” he said.

In a statement, state leaders championed Morgan Mining’s decision to expand in Grand Junction.

“I’m thrilled that Morgan Mining is expanding in western Colorado, bringing 893 new good-paying jobs to Grand Junction and Mesa County,” said Gov. Jared Polis. “Colorado is the best place to live, work, and do business, and this exciting announcement shows that our leadership to lower costs for workers and build a strong workforce continues to attract businesses to our strong economy, strengthening our Colorado for all.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Grand Junction Economic Partnership and support Morgan Mining’s expansion in Mesa County,” added OEDIT Executive Director Eve Lieberman. “When advanced manufacturing companies expand in rural Colorado, they strengthen and diversify regional communities and economies. That’s a win for western Colorado and a win for the state of Colorado.”