THOMASVILLE — As they cut the ribbon to their new paint and blast rooms, Evoqua Water Technologies officials said it didn’t just mark an investment in their plant — it was also an investment in the community.

The company showed off its new paint and blast rooms, an investment of $1.3 million, Wednesday afternoon.

“We are here for the long term,” said Herve Fages, president of Evoqua’s Applied Product Technologies. “We are going to expand and grow the business.”

The previous blast room for Evoqua’s crews as they worked on tanks dated back to 1971, said plant manager Roscoe Smith. 

“It did a great job for us,” he said. “But we definitely needed to improve our productivity on this side of the plant.”

What took four to six weeks before is now done in a fraction of the time, Smith said.

“We did 10 of them and supplied them to the customer in a week and a half,” he said. “It’s all around a great investment for the facility.” 

Not only did the new rooms have to be built, but the old ones had to be demolished — and those had to happen simultaneously. Demolition occurred in multiple phases, said project manager Joe Gaboardi, and the new blast room is 10 feet from its predecessor.

“We have a great team here in Thomasville,” he said. “The project stayed on track and it was successful. They did whatever it took to keep this project on track. This was a key project for the Thomasville plant and it is one that is going to have a key impact on us for years to come.”

Evoqua’s Wade Burnette recounted how he has made two trips out west, one to San Francisco and the other to the Midwest. In restaurants, he was asked where he was from. His standard response is 20 miles north of Tallahassee, Florida.

“So may be we are a place apart,” he said.

Burnette also harkened to Evoqua’s start in Thomasville, when it was originally Davis Meter and Supply, before Evoqua took control in a series of acquisitions.

“The building you are in started in 1938,” he said. “The roots run deep here. We’ve got a bright future. The team has fought to have a real successful plant. We are expanding our roots.”

Smith said the company’s investment in the Thomasville plant shows its commitment to the facility and the community.

“The leadership team has invested money into our plant,” he said. “The team here is engaged and we are gong to make it happen. It’s a beautiful thing for the City of Thomasville.”

Editor Pat Donahue can be reached at (229) 226-2400 ext. 1806.