SHELL ROCK - Jeff Kolb, executive director of the Butler County Development Corp., said the county had seen more of its residents go elsewhere to work for some time.

That trend will be reversing soon, at least in one instance.

Unverferth Manufacturing Co. has just completed a 70,000-square-foot expansion to its agriculture equipment manufacturing facility in Shell Rock and soon will be adding more than 40 jobs to its current work force of 300.

"The job creation is significantly important," Kolb said. "We did a labor study early this summer, and it showed once again that we have a large out-commute, which has been par for the course for us," Kolb said. "A large percentage of Butler County residents work in Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Waverly and even Charles City, to an extent. With this, we're creating more jobs locally, which not only helps us keep the families we have living here, but it helps us grow the county."

Demand for Unverferth's large carts, wagons and sprayers prompted the expansion, said Thor Larson, the Shell Rock plant's manufacturing manager.

"We chose to expand with a new building, which will allow a new line of large carts," Larson said. "That, in turn, should increase the opportunities for about 40 people for jobs here, and it also allows us to put some newer machinery in, such as laser machines and other capital equipment, to bring in-house instead of buying from the outside, which is what we're doing now."

The new building - an addition to the company's manufacturing and shipping buildings that total 270,000 square feet - went up during the summer and should be fully online by late October, when the first of two laser machines is installed. Another laser device, a robotic brake press, CNC roller and saw will be installed by the end of the year.

"It allows more space to stage and store products," Larson said.

Most of the new positions at the plant will be welders, although the firm also is seeking a programmer for some of the new equipment, Larson said.

"We hope to get people in place and trained, so they're ready to go by the first week in January," Larson said. "That's when production is targeted to start there."

Kalida, Ohio-based Unverferth has been in Shell Rock since 1988, when it bought up local company Brent Manufacturing, which was founded in the 1970s. The company markets carts, sprayers and other agriculture equipment under the Brent Products, Parker, Kill Bros. and Unverferth brands.

"For the region, it's a significant project," Kolb said. "Unverferth has been great for this county."

Contact Jim Offner at (319) 291-1598 or jim.offner@wcfcourier.com.