New shingle plant to bring 130 jobs to Newton

NEWTON, Kan. (KSNW) – A plant that makes roofing materials will be expanding to Newton.

GAF, North America’s largest roofing and waterproofing manufacturer, announced Wednesday that it plans to construct a new shingle plant in the Kansas Logistics Park.

The company says the facility will create more than 130 highly skilled manufacturing jobs in management, engineering and operations.

“The greater Newton area offers a strong pipeline of talent, and we’re excited about the significant economic and community impact GAF’s expansion will bring,” Newton Mayor Rod Kreie said in a news release. “GAF has been an excellent partner throughout the process, and we thank Harvey County Economic Development and all those that played a role in helping bring this opportunity to Newton.”

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly sees this as a “big win for Kansas.”

“GAF’s expansion into Kansas once again showcases our status as a national leader in advanced manufacturing,” Gov. Kelly said. “The company’s innovative production methods and proven track record of community involvement make it an ideal partner for Newton and the entire state.”

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Securing the location

The company was looking at several different states when trying to figure out where to build the plant.

The Kansas Logistics Park stretches over 450 acres and is located on the southeast side of town. The park has a lot of empty fields right now, but they are being built up, and GAF now owns 250 acres.

“The name of the game is if your community isn’t growing, then you’ve got a problem in an inflationary world,” said Mayor Kreie.

Mayor Kreie says it’s important for communities of any size to expand and add to their tax base.
He says it’s important to encourage companies to move to the community to keep it growing.
He adds over the past few years, he feels Newton has been able to shift from a bedroom community for Wichita to its own industrial hub.

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Preparation

There is a lot of preparation in store for the community. Paving dirt roads is just one of those things Harvey County is working on to prepare for the opening.

“So for the industrial park there’s things that are happening to support the industrial park growth and then things that are happening to support the community growth,” said Harvey County Economic Development Executive Director Beth Shelton.

Shelton says the county’s been in talks with the company for three years. In that time, they’ve also become more housing-focused.

“Over the last few years there has been a couple of developments that have been working to add housing to our inventory here, a lot of single-family homes a few duplexes as well,” said United Way Harvey County Executive Director Dalton Black.

Projects are also being put together closer to the city center.

“We’re in an active effort trying to renovate second floors on the main street into upstairs housing, you know walkability become a big thing with the millennials,” said Mayor Kreie.

Mayor Kreie and others say the slow rollout of the manufacturing facility will help the city keep pace.

Construction on the plant is expected to start in June. Production is scheduled to begin in 2027. The company says it expects to reach full production capacity by mid-2029.

Shelton says the company will have a groundbreaking this summer and will hire people steadily in increments of 30. She also says they’re working with Harvey County to expand community resources for those new workers.

The Newton City Commission approved $350 million in Industrial Revenue Bonds (IRBs) for the company in 2023.

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