Thomson Already Had the Building. Now a $26 Million Manufacturer Is Bringing It Back to Work.
Mayville Engineering Company plans to refurbish an existing Thomson industrial building, invest about $26 million and create approximately 140 jobs over the coming years.
THOMSON, Ga. Economic-development announcements often begin with vacant land and a promise to build something new.
Thomson's latest manufacturing win begins with something the community already had: a building.
Mayville Engineering Company, or MEC, plans to invest an estimated $26 million over the next several years to establish a metal-fabrication facility in McDuffie County and create approximately 140 new jobs, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
The company plans to refurbish an existing building at 1048 Superior Way in Thomson rather than start with a new greenfield facility.
The building becomes part of the recruitment package
MEC says renovation and equipment investment will be phased in over the next several years, with workforce expansion expected to begin in 2026.
Hiring is expected across management, administrative support, technical positions, machine operators, maintenance and quality control.
MEC serves industries including commercial vehicles, data-center and critical-power systems, construction equipment, agriculture, powersports and other manufacturing markets.
This is another form of site readiness
Georgia has spent millions helping communities create shovel-ready industrial sites before companies arrive.
An existing building can solve a different version of the same problem.
If the structure, location, utilities and transportation access can support a new operation, the company may be able to move faster than it could on undeveloped property.
That can make older industrial inventory part of a community's competitive advantage.
The location connects Thomson to a larger manufacturing network
State economic-development officials highlighted McDuffie County's proximity to Augusta, its transportation connections and its access to the broader Southeast manufacturing ecosystem.
MEC itself operates as a manufacturing partner across multiple industries, providing fabrication, coating, assembly, tooling and aftermarket services.
That means the Thomson facility is not being built around one single end market. It is intended to plug into several supply chains at once.
The Georgia inside the story
Communities often ask what they need to build to attract the next employer.
Sometimes the better question is what they already own, what already has utilities, what is already connected to roads and what can be made productive again.
The Georgia inside this story is that economic-development assets do not always have to be new. Thomson already had the building. MEC is now planning to put $26 million, equipment and approximately 140 jobs inside it.