Forgent Power Solutions, a manufacturer of electrical distribution equipment used in data centers, the power grid and energy-intensive industrial plants, will establish a major corporate office in downtown Columbus, creating 85 jobs and $12 million in new annual payroll, JobsOhio announced. The company will invest $3 million to build out 90,000 square feet at 10 W. Nationwide Blvd. in the Arena District, and Area Development reported the Columbus plans again on Nov. 3 as the project moved through state incentive approvals.
The Ohio Tax Credit Authority approved a 1.877 percent, 10-year Job Creation Tax Credit for the project, according to Area Development. Forgent’s existing Ohio team, including its Ohio-based chief executive, Gary Niederpruem, will occupy the space under a 10-year lease alongside the 85 new hires, JobsOhio said. The Columbus office will serve as a hub for customer support and for project management, supply chain operations, finance, human resources and corporate strategy.
"Forgent is scaling rapidly to meet growing demand for power infrastructure," Niederpruem told JobsOhio. "Columbus offers exceptional talent and proximity to key customers, making it an ideal location for our continued growth. As an Ohio native, I’m proud to invest in a city that will play an important role powering the future," Niederpruem told JobsOhio.
City leaders cast the decision as a long-term win for downtown. "Forgent’s decision represents a major long-term commitment to Downtown Columbus," Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther told JobsOhio. Ginther told JobsOhio the company will bring a growing team into the Arena District, fill a significant amount of office space and create strong career opportunities, adding daily activity for surrounding businesses and growing income tax revenue the city reinvests for residents.
Forgent, traded on the New York Stock Exchange as FPS, designs and manufactures custom, engineered-to-order electrical distribution equipment for technically demanding applications, according to JobsOhio. The company says it is one of a small number of firms able to manufacture all of the electrical distribution equipment required for a data center or a large manufacturing facility’s powertrain, JobsOhio reported. It employs approximately 3,000 people and operates 10 manufacturing campuses totaling more than 2 million square feet across North America.
The Columbus expansion comes during a period of rapid growth for the company. Forgent reported $1.42 billion in fiscal 2026 revenue, an increase of 89 percent from the previous year, and entered fiscal 2027 with a record $3 billion backlog, JobsOhio said. The company manufactures transformers, switchgear and prefabricated power solutions for data centers, utilities, industrial facilities and renewable energy projects, and JobsOhio said rising demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing is driving the need for that reliable power infrastructure.
The Forgent project was one of 10 economic development projects approved by the Ohio Tax Credit Authority at its Oct. 26 meeting. Together, those projects are expected to create 1,359 new jobs, retain 1,824 jobs statewide and result in more than $2.2 billion in investment across Ohio, according to reporting by The Columbus Dispatch on the Ohio Department of Development announcement. The Dispatch reported that the authority approved a job creation tax credit of about 1.9 percent for 10 years for Forgent, consistent with the 1.877 percent figure reported by Area Development.
Regional development leaders said the location puts Forgent’s core corporate functions in a market where its customers are already investing at enormous scale. "Forgent operates at the convergence of digital infrastructure and the rising demand for power across the economy," Jonas Peterson, president and chief economic development officer of One Columbus, told JobsOhio. JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef told JobsOhio the new Columbus operation will create high-value careers and build on the company’s existing Ohio presence, deepening the state’s position in the supply chain for electrical infrastructure powering data centers, utilities and advanced manufacturing.
What we know — and what we’re still waiting on. What is confirmed, from JobsOhio and Area Development, is the address, the size of the office, the $3 million build-out investment, the 85-job and $12 million payroll commitments, the 10-year lease and the state tax credit. What has not been announced in the JobsOhio release is a move-in date, a detailed hiring timeline, or a list of specific job titles and pay ranges for the 85 new positions, so readers should not treat any rumored start date as confirmed.
The announcement also arrives alongside other major Columbus growth decisions covered by NewsForce247, including NetJets’ plan to add 800 jobs in a Columbus headquarters expansion and JetBlue’s return to Columbus with daily Fort Lauderdale flights. Forgent’s work is also tied to the data center debate now playing out across Ohio, including Upper Sandusky voters’ decision to ban large data centers — a reminder that demand for power equipment and local concern about new facilities are growing at the same time.
What happens next is the build-out at 10 W. Nationwide Blvd. and the hiring that will fill the office over the term of the 10-year lease and the 10-year tax credit. Forgent’s existing Ohio team will move into the Arena District space with the new hires, and the company will be expected to meet the job and payroll commitments attached to its state incentive. NewsForce247 will follow the first posted openings and any announced move-in date, and will update this story if the company or JobsOhio releases a hiring schedule.