A new business venture is in the works in Lyon County aiming to improve the local economy.
During the Lyon County Commission’s weekly action session, Thursday morning, Ronald and Judy McCoy approached the commission on the possibility of acting as a pass-through for Community Development Block Grant funding for future expansion of their business A1 Pump and Jet Service to a new facility in Emporia. The company which started in 2014 offers sewer maintenance, pumping, hydro-cleaning, hydro-excavation, and sludge hauling/disposal for municipal, commercial, and government organizations throughout the Midwest.
Ron McCoy, President and COO of the company, says over the past six years the company has continuously grown at a rapid pace. He says the potential for their business at this time is “almost unlimited.”
As part of their presentation to the commission, the McCoys explained that through an expansion they anticipate creating a total of 40 new jobs and expand close to $3 million worth of revenue within 24 months.
Emporia Main Street Director Casey Woods says an opportunity like this is always impactful to a community. However; he says given the recent impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, an opportunity such as this could be even more impactful from an economic standpoint than ever before.
The reasoning for the partnership with Lyon County is that businesses such as A1 cannot access CDBG funding. Grant Administrator Garrett Nordstrom explains only public entities — cities, municipalities or counties — can apply for CDBG funding.
He says the county would essentially receive the money and pass it through to A1 in order to fund their expansion. Nordstrom adds that as a passthrough the county would have no financial liability if the project were not to pan out.
