JGPCO built the facility in a joint venture with Green Knight Development Corp., a non-profit based in Pen Argyl, PA; Houston-based Waste Management Inc.; and the Northampton County Industrial Development Authority. A JGPCO spokesperson tells GlobeSt.com, "the total project investment, including acquisition and equipment, was $10 million." The project received the 2003 Pennsylvania Governor's Award for Excellence.

JGPCO is currently designing and constructing the interior fit-out for Techo-Bloc and constructing a 10,000-sf expansion. "The fact that Techo-Bloc purchased the building to house its first operations in the US proves the success of the Slate Belt project," says Tom Shaughnessy, JGPCO's director of development. "Our company remains dedicated to strengthening economic development in the Lehigh Valley region and, more importantly, creating jobs for the local community." Techo-Bloc begins with a workforce of 40 and expects to generate an additional 35 jobs within five years.

JGPCO has an investment portfolio of more than 2.5 million sf of industrial and office space. It has an additional office in Asbury, NJ and is currently developing the 70,000-sf Palace at Somerset Park, which is a catering facility in Franklin Twp., NJ, and Gargiulo Produce, a 148,850-sf refrigerated warehouse in Hillside, NJ.