Tarter Gate West - Dedication and Groundbreaking for New Manufacturing and Distribution Facility

New facility nearing completion in March 2006. Click here for larger image The superstructure for Tarter Gate’s new manufacturing and distribution facility is fast going up in the shadow of the snow-covered Wasatch Mountains.

On December 14, 2005, that long search and the reality it turned into was celebrated by a crowd of approximately 150 leaders from throughout the state of Utah as they descended on Corinne, Utah in Box Elder County for the dedication and groundbreaking ceremony for Tarter Gate West, the Tarter Gate company’s newest manufacturing and distribution facility.

Speakers included Utah Governor John Huntsman, Travis Cox, General Manager of Tarter Gate, and future occupants of the new Box Elder County Agribusiness and Industrial Park, Lowell Sherratt of Honeyville Grain, and Curtis Wiemann of Stone River Bronze.

Chilly 17° temperatures forced the crowd into a large heated tent for the ceremony and refreshments that followed. The new Tarter Gate facility is expected to be complete by mid-March and in full operation by the end of April 2006.

Corinne and Box Elder County were chosen as ideal sites for the new facility for a number of reasons, including the community’s willingness to work with Tarter Gate in areas such as workforce development and to help in solving a variety of infrastructure issues. The location of Box Elder County was important in the decision-making process for Tarter Gate. Being the northern-most county in the state puts Tarter Gate trucks strategically close to rich Idaho farm country. Strong interstate highway connections open an easy corridor to the far western markets of Oregon, Washington and Northern California.

Home to Brigham City and Corinne, Utah, Box Elder County is in a perfect position to house the new Tarter Gate facility. “From the inspiring views of the majestic Wasatch Mountains to the vast spaces of its western deserts, Box Elder County has just about everything, including a piece of the Great Salt Lake,” according to the Box Elder County Web site.

Tarter Gate’s new facility is being constructed in phases, with phase one coming in at 98,000 square feet. The facility has been poured, all poles and columns are up, and the structural steel beams for the roof have been installed.

When the facility is operational this spring, plans call for the immediate manufacturing of the most popular western products, with other equipment being distributed throughout the new operation.

Tarter Gate, a dominant player in the eastern half of the United States, expects to enjoy significant market share growth in the west as the cost of its products become more competitive due to the reduced costs associated with freight.

“We are super excited to have Tarter Gate come to Box Elder County,” said Garth Day, Economic Development Director for the county. “They are exactly the type of quality business we want here. Tarter Gate is the anchor tenant in a park created for companies just like them. It’s not just the economic opportunity they represent,” he said, “we like the people and the way they do business. We feel most fortunate to have landed them in our county.”