Dayton Phoenix Group to create 115 jobs, invest $4.5M into Dayton facility

Workers are back to work at the Dayton Phoenix Group on Kuntz Road in the Old Dayton business park. The roof and the walls were severely damaged by the Memorial Day 2019 tornados. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Workers are back to work at the Dayton Phoenix Group on Kuntz Road in the Old Dayton business park. The roof and the walls were severely damaged by the Memorial Day 2019 tornados. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

A company that manufactures electrical components for the railroad and industrial markets plans to invest about $4.5 million into its Old North Dayton facility, with plans to create about 115 new jobs, according to city of Dayton documents.

Dayton-Phoenix Group plans to make capital improvements to its facility at 1619 Kuntz Road to support a business expansion and IT upgrades and assist with employee training, says a memo from Steve Gondol, Dayton’s director of planning, neighborhoods and development.

The project will help retain 223 existing jobs and the company is expected to create 115 new jobs by the end of 2027, the memo states. The city is providing $200,000 to help with project costs, which include the purchase and installation of equipment.

Darryl Patak is the CFO of Dayton Phoenix Group. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Credit: JIM NOELKER

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Credit: JIM NOELKER

Dayton-Phoenix Group produces electrical products for locomotives and industrial customers. The company designs and manufactures motors, locomotive parts, compressors, cooling fans and HVAC and mechanical components.

The company’s customers include Wabtec, Caterpillar, Progress Rail and BNSF.

“Our business culture and philosophy focus on bringing innovative solutions to our customers and ensuring their sustainability for the future,” said Gale Kooken, Dayton-Phoenix Group chairman, in a prepared statement in June about the company’s expansion plans.

Phil Lyndower builds a HVAC for freight train engines at the Dayton Phoenix Group. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Credit: JIM NOELKER

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Credit: JIM NOELKER

Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein said Dayton-Phoenix Group leadership deserves a ton of credit for keeping and paying company employees after the facility in Old North Dayton was severely damaged by the 2019 Memorial Day tornadoes.

The company temporarily moved its operations to a property in Vandalia while it rebuilt its Dayton facility.

The 630,000-square-foot facility cost nearly $78 million to construct, said Shook Construction.

“This is another injection of investment,” Dickstein said about the expansion project. “These are great jobs for our community.”

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