Scottsville Scores
International Company Continues Investment in Region
Story by Jen Calhoun
Big things are happening in Scottsville, and it’s all thanks to a company from Finland. Halton, a company that makes ventilation equipment for everything from hospitals to restaurants and cruise ships, last year increased the size of its local plant, adding 60 more full-time jobs.
The $7,400,000 investment includes a 47,000-square-foot expansion of manufacturing space and an additional 8,100 square feet for labs and offices, according to a news release from the company. “The added space includes a research and development office and lab for the air-moving product line, as well as new manufacturing space for additional product lines to support the overall growth of the business,” the news release says.
The new expansion brings the company’s total operational area in Scottsville to more than 180,000 square feet. The extra jobs bring the company’s total employment in Kentucky to about 240. “Any time we get good-paying jobs with a strong company like Halton, it’s a win for Allen County,” says Dennis Harper, the county’s judge-executive. “We’ve had a great relationship with them over the years, and this just takes it to the next level.”
Scottsville Mayor David Burch told a television news crew in 2024 that the company’s long-standing presence in the community shows what can happen when local leadership and global industry work together. “We’re proud to see Halton continuing to invest here,” Burch says. “This expansion reinforces that Scottsville is a great place to do business, and that we have the workforce and support to make it happen.”
The sentiment goes both ways, according to a statement from Mika Halttunen, chairman and owner of Scottsville Scores International, company continues investment in the region, Halton Group, in a news release that announced the expansion.
“Kentucky has been a great home for our U.S. operations for more than 30 years,” Halttunen says. “We are excited to continue growing our team and facilities, including setting up a new Innovation Hub and laboratory. This will enable us to provide the highest-quality innovative air-handling products for the domestic U.S. commercial kitchen ventilation market and to export those to the rest of the Americas, Middle East, and Asia Pacific.”
Keeping It Clean
The Halton brand is well-known throughout the world when it comes to airflow, ventilation, and pollution control in all kinds of commercial buildings and ships. Since its beginning, the company has focused on clean, healthy, and safe indoor environments.
The company was founded in Finland by Halttunen’s father, Seppo Halttunen, in 1969, according to information from the Allen County-Scottsville Industrial Development Authority. It came to North America in 1978 with the establishment of a Canadian facility. Its first sales offices in the U.S. opened in 1982. As it continued to expand, the ACS-ID says, Halton became the Halton Group after purchasing or merging with other companies in similar markets.
Halton established its Scottsville plant in 1997 on Industrial Drive off Old Gallatin Road, just south of White Plains. Initially, the plant employed 27 people, according to the ACS-ID.
Innovations in Air Quality
The new expansion, which was created at the company’s second Scottsville facility, will provide increased capacity and flexibility for manufacturing as the demand for Halton’s exhaust fans, air systems and pollution control units continues to grow, according to a statement made by Phil Meredith, strategic business area director for the Foodservice Americas division of Halton.
“With Halton being the leader in commercial kitchen ventilation and air distribution systems, a dedicated air movement Innovation Hub will further enhance Halton’s product development and testing capabilities,” Meredith says.
The Innovation Hub will be dedicated to advanced research in indoor environments. It is 1 of 10 similar research centers Halton built around the globe.
Building Jobs & Community
Halton leaders say they’re also committed to creating a workplace where people want to stay and build their careers. The new jobs added a mix of skilled manufacturing roles, research and development engineers, and technical support.
“Our team here in Kentucky is critical to our success,” says Rick Bagwell, president of Halton’s North American operations. “We want to create opportunities where people can grow with us, and this expansion helps us do that.”
In addition to providing jobs, Halton announced in 2023 it would match up to $100,000 to help fund Project 330, a proposed expansion for the Core of Scottsville, the city’s popular community center. Making the Core a state-of-the-art facility is the goal.
The expansion is expected to include new basketball courts, indoor meeting spaces, updated equipment, new program spaces, and more. Halton was the first corporate sponsor to back Project 330’s goal.