Back in 2025, Thermal Ceramics closed its doors after more than 40 years of operations in Emporia; however, its longtime home will not be vacant much longer.
KVOE News learned Friday afternoon that A1 Pump and Jet had closed on the property located at 221 Weaver Street earlier that day. According to owner Ron McCoy, the property was an ideal location for many reasons, but mainly because it has the space to accommodate A1’s growing operations.
McCoy says this includes new technology recently acquired that will be housed at the new facility to convert byproduct from food production companies into fertilizer.
If you recall, between late 2025 and this past January, McCoy was seeking approval of an annexation of land from the county into the City of Emporia to facilitate another expansion of operations at 800 Road 160, with plans to build a facility to handle composting of excess byproducts from various factories and manufacturers. That annexation request was ultimately denied.
McCoy told KVOE News in a recent interview that the operations at 221 Weaver are a separate matter from the one discussed with the county between late 2025 and this past January. McCoy also felt it was important to note that the process at the Weaver location will deal only with food byproducts, noting that A1 has not dealt in human waste or septic materials in quite some time.
According to McCoy, the new facility will lead to roughly 25-50 new jobs, which will come with very favorable salaries.
Once operations get underway at the Weaver facility, A1 would have two physical locations within the Emporia area, and three within the state, including its plant in Holcomb. McCoy, towards the end of his interview with KVOE News, noted that at this time A1 is looking at potentially expanding beyond just the Sunflower State.
McCoy says it could be up to six months before operations begin at the new facility.
