On Thursday morning March 7, 2019, Coorstek in Benton, Arkansas, held a groundbreaking ceremony for an expansion of their facilities on the west end of Boone Road. Members of the 5th generation of the Coors family and many local dignitaries such as Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and Benton Mayor Tom Farmer came to commemorate the occasion.
L. to R. Gary James, Executive Director of Benton Area Chamber of Commerce; Shane Broadway, Board Chairman of Saline County Economic Development Corporation (and Vice President for University Relations with Arkansas State University System); Johnathan Coors, Co-CEO Coors; Asa Hutchinson, Governor of Arkansas; Steve Braswell, Vice President of Americas East for Coors; Tom Farmer, Mayor of Benton; Lamont Cornwell, Executive Director of the Saline County Economic Development Corporation.
The Coors name is perhaps better known for their brewery operations in Golden, Colorado, but Coorstek in Benton is part of their ceramics company. This expansion is adding a new 50,000-SF building onto their currently facility. The project is estimated at a cost of $26-million. Coorstek currently employs around 200 workers and this should add around 30 positions supporting the aerospace and defense industries.
The Governor’s Office live-streamed the ceremony via YouTube. There were a couple of amusing anecdotes worth seeing. That video is below.