A family-owned northwest Ohio company that builds the racks, conveyors and lifting systems other businesses rely on is about to get much bigger. Tiger Material Handling, Inc. announced on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, a $2 million expansion in Genoa, in Ottawa County, purchasing the former Gordon Lumber building off State Route 51 and planning to add 26 new jobs, according to the announcement from the Ottawa County Improvement Corporation (OCIC).
The centerpiece of the project is a 26,350-square-foot facility on the west end of Ottawa County. The OCIC announcement says the company will renovate and customize the former lumber building to fit its growing operations, improve production efficiencies and make room for new employees. The investment, the announcement says, marks a significant milestone in the company’s commitment to expanding in Genoa rather than moving its growth elsewhere.
The jobs figure is the headline number for the village and the county. With the addition of 26 new positions, Tiger Material Handling plans to double its current workforce to more than 50 employees over the next several years, according to the OCIC announcement. For a community the size of Genoa, one employer adding that many manufacturing jobs is a substantial boost to the local tax base.
The company says the expansion is driven by demand it can no longer meet in its existing space. “As our company continues to grow, we’ve reached a point where our existing space can no longer keep up — we have a capacity shortage,” Mike Pietrowski, president of Tiger Material Handling, said in the OCIC announcement. “The new building will provide the space we need for continued growth and will also provide job security for existing employees and as well as for new employees.”
Inventory is a major part of the plan. Tyler Pietrowski, the company’s regional sales manager, said in the OCIC announcement that the company is looking forward to expanding its stocked products, adding “more variety and quantity when it comes to pallet rack, guarding, and a whole lot more. Possibly more products that we haven’t found yet as well.” Stocking more product locally means area manufacturers and warehouses can get equipment faster, without waiting on distant distributors.
Beyond storage and inventory, the new facility is an investment in the company’s fabrication operations. According to the OCIC announcement, the additional space will allow Tiger Material Handling to take on larger, more complex projects while improving turnaround times and increasing production capacity. That combination — more room, more stock and more fabrication capability under one roof — is what the company says it needs as customer demand continues to increase across the region.
For readers unfamiliar with the business, Tiger Material Handling provides material handling equipment, custom fabrication and engineering solutions for manufacturing, distribution and warehouse operations, according to the company information included in the OCIC announcement. Its products and services include pallet racking, conveyor systems, structural mezzanines, industrial carts, loading dock equipment and ergonomic lifting solutions — the largely unseen equipment that keeps factories and distribution centers moving.
The project did not come together alone. The OCIC, the Regional Growth Partnership (RGP), JobsOhio and NAI Harmon Group worked collaboratively to support the company’s investment and growth, according to the announcement. That kind of partnership is the standard playbook for northwest Ohio economic development: local and regional partners help a home-grown employer solve a space problem so the jobs stay in the county.
State-level leaders framed the announcement as a win for Ohio manufacturing. “Tiger Material Handling is doubling down on Ohio — nearly doubling its workforce and expanding the engineering and fabrication capabilities that manufacturers and distributors across northwest Ohio count on every day,” JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef said in the OCIC announcement. He credited the close collaboration between RGP and OCIC, and said the family-owned business will have the space and talent to strengthen Ohio’s advanced manufacturing and logistics base.
Local officials made the same point in more local terms. “Seeing another family-owned business like Tiger Material Handling continue to invest and grow in Ottawa County is exactly the type of economic development we strive to support,” Chris Singerling, executive director of the OCIC, said in the announcement. Singerling said the expansion shows what can happen when local businesses and development partners work toward a shared goal, and that investments like this create a ripple effect through the local economy, supporting job creation and opening the door to future growth.
The timeline in the announcement is measured in years, not weeks. The purchase and the $2 million investment were announced on November 4, 2026; the renovation and customization of the former Gordon Lumber building come next, so the space fits fabrication and inventory work; and the hiring — 26 new jobs, taking the workforce past 50 — is planned to unfold over the next several years as the expanded operation ramps up, according to the OCIC.
What happens next is the build-out itself. Residents can expect work at the State Route 51 site as the former lumber building is converted, and job seekers in Genoa and western Ottawa County can watch for the new positions the company has promised as capacity comes online. NewsForce247 will follow the renovation and the hiring as they move from announcement to reality, and will update this coverage when the company confirms its first hiring dates for the expanded Genoa facility.
Photo: Axisadman, CC BY-SA