The relocation of Portable Solutions Group and Price Solutions from a small location near Olive Hill to the giant former Ashland Inc. hangar at the Ashland Regional Airport in Worthington is evidence of a new company finding its niche in a new and growing industry. While the number of new jobs the expansion initially will create — 30 in addition to the 20 employees now in Carter County — will be relatively few, the potential for future growth is great.
After all, as Ashland Alliance President Jim Purgerson so aptly said, Portable Solutions Group and Price Solutions are involved in an industry that did not even exist just a few years ago. The secure-entry units that Price Solutions manufactures and Portable Solutions Group markets are a product of the post-9/11 world that puts a much greater emphasis on security. The two companies recognize the need and have combined their talents to meet it.
Purchasing Agent Ronnie Cooley said the combined companies have manufactured and marketed units which are now in place at high-security spots worldwide. While power plants have been their primary customers to date, the potential is much greater than that, Cooley said.
The secure-entry point units the two companies manufacture and market are applicable “anywhere you have a great deal of fencing and it has to be secure,” Cooley said. The units are suitable for use in places ranging from football stadiums to nuclear power plants, he added.
While the company is moving its operation from the Soldier community in Carter County to the airport in Greenup County, Carter County Judge-Executive Charles Wallace recognizes the move as “regional growth.” The jobs from Carter County will be maintained in the new location while new jobs will be created. In a region where local leaders have in the past fought each other for the same jobs, Walllace’s attitude is refreshing.
We confess to not having much more than a thimble full of knowledge about secure-entry units and the need for them in today’s world. However, we recognize that the increased demand for security has created new needs requiring new products. If Portable Solutions Group and Price Solutions can help meet that demand, then this community stands to benefit greatly.
“I hope you stay here until you retire,” Greenup County Judge-Executive Bobby Carpenter told the workers and company executives gathered for Monday’s announcement at the airport. After the ceremony, Carpenter said he knew the combined companies would be “a great fit,” for the area, and that the former Ashland Inc. hangar would be an ideal place for them to do their jobs.
“I believe it’s going to be our strong small businesses that carry us out of our economic doldrums,” State Rep. Tonya Pullin said of the two small companies. “Most big businesses started out as small businesses. We sometimes underestimate small businesses. As small businesses grow we will grow with them.”
Portable Solutions Group and Price Solutions alone will not cure this community of the economic blahs, but it definitely is a small step in the right direction that has the potential of becoming a giant leap forward.
