After all is said and done, Hadsell Development could invest up to to $10 million in an expansion and development project producing up to 400 jobs, Hadsell Development President Don Hadsell said Thursday.

“This is our Christmas present to the city of Portsmouth and Scioto County,” Hadsell told a group gathered Thursday in a meeting room at McGovney Ready Mix and McGovney River Transport, known as McGovney Docking, on Charles Street in Portsmouth.

“McGovney was getting ready to shut this place down Dec. 31 with the loss of 16 jobs. We have been talking to them for a few years, and we saw an opening here for future development for Portsmouth and southern Ohio,” Hadsell said. “My brother (Ron Hadsell, vice president of Hadsell Development) and I graduated from Portsmouth, so we finally came to a deal where we can keep this plant open and retain the 16 jobs in the plant.”

Ron Hadsell said, “With government help, Hadsell Development will make a commitment to build up to four industrial buildings for the new intermodal industrial park here. This will create jobs and attract businesses in our area including industrial and alternative energy businesses who want to locate down here.”

McGovney would remain open and expand, but will affect residual businesses in the area, as well.

“It keeps local businesses like OSCO, Harbison Walker and North American Refractories supplied and competitive in the global markets they serve,” Ron Hadsell said. “The McGovney name will stay, and it improves the capacity of McGovney River Terminals by extending the size of the docks here. It provides better loading and unloading for logistical support of local business, it maintains a reliable port facility and important point of access to our local businesses here with combined river and rail.”

“If I build it, they will come,” Don Hadsell said in reference to several other similar projects between South Point and Portsmouth.

“Build it and they will come has worked for us for years now,” Ron Hadsell said. “And when the recovery takes hold, we will be well positioned to bring clients here and serve their needs. This site is a potential major warehousing and industrial facility. We want to bring jobs back to the area. We have done so already in New Boston and some other places. We have created hundreds of jobs there already.”

Both talked about the “glory years” of Portsmouth when it was easy to find a job, but said it is more difficult now, so their plan is to develop that property, and bring growth.

Specifically, Don Hadsell talked about an eight-acre plot of land that is the former Dayton Walther property adjacent to property he already owns.

Don Hadsell talked about the continuing discussions with government officials to secure, purchase and clean up of the land.

“We want to try to access Clean Ohio dollars to clean up this section,” Hadsell said, pointing to the former Dayton Walther site. “We can level it out, and we can build — we commit to build four 50,000-square-foot buildings for industrial development, which, in turn, could produce anywhere from 200 to 400 jobs in Portsmouth.”

“What we’re doing here is laying out a plan to expand southern Ohio’s industrial capacity, river access and job-generating base,” Ron Hadsell said. “It’s what we’ve done over the years and we’re excited about this next important step.”

Don Hadsell alluded to more growth coming soon to the area, which he said he can’t discuss at this time, but hopes to make an announcement about in the near future.

FRANK LEWIS may be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 232