Epsilon Breaks Ground on 65,000-Square-Foot Plant Expansion

Epsilon Industries broke ground Friday morning on a 65,000-square-foot expansion of its Tuscaloosa manufacturing facility, a more than $15 million capital investment expected to create 26 new jobs in West Alabama.

The plant manufactures major large parts for air conditioning units, heating systems and electrical infrastructure, including chillers, boilers and transformers, to be installed for commercial and industrial clients. The expanded facility will include specialized areas for sandblasting, painting and overhead crane operations, as well as upgraded employee facilities.

Many of its workers gathered on the floor of the factory on Industrial Park Drive near the Tuscaloosa National Airport for a groundbreaking ceremony kicking off the expansion, where speakers included U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Mayor Walt Maddox, District 1 and City Councilman Joe Eatmon.

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Epsilon President Chris Wiederick, who opened the ceremony, said he was struck by the community turnout and credited the city and the Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority for helping the company find its footing after arriving from Canada in 2022 and opening the Tuscaloosa facility in 2023.

"We were immediately impressed by how supportive the community was, how responsive the city of Tuscaloosa and the TCEDA were to what we're trying to do here," Wiederick said.

The company president also thanked his landlord, developer Stan Pate, for being actively involved in the plant's successes, and Robert Amason of Amason & Associates for taking on the construction aspect of the expansion.

Mayor Maddox said he believes Friday's groundbreaking is only the first of many to come.

"I think this is just the beginning of their continued expansion and growth in our community," Maddox said. "Chris, we're going to be excited to be your partner as you continue to grow jobs and grow Tuscaloosa into the future."

Maddox also addressed the plant workers who gathered on the floor directly.

"It's your sweat, it's your blood, it's your hard work that is making a difference," he said. "You may not realize this as you're working to feed your family, to have a mortgage, to have a better future — you're also making your community better. Your work means more police officers, more firefighters, better streets, better opportunities."

Eatmon, whose district includes the plant, said any time high-paying jobs come to his community, it is a win for everyone.

"As we rise as a community, everybody rises," Eatmon said. "When companies come to our town and take care of our people, we're all successful."

Tuberville, who is running for governor in 2026, tied the expansion to a broader argument for domestic manufacturing and framed the facility as an example of what he hopes to replicate statewide.

"Jobs have to occur for this country to continue to grow," Tuberville said. "President Trump is destined and determined to get manufacturing back to this country."

Tuberville said he has been meeting with international companies interested in locating in Alabama, including a group he described as a manufacturer of industrial diamonds that he said had identified Alabama as its top target for a new U.S. plant.

"There's not a week goes by I don't have a half a dozen come into my office in DC," Tuberville said. "We're looking for a place to put a manufacturing plant."

If elected governor, Tuberville said keeping young Alabamians in state would be a top priority.

"We are losing a major portion of our young kids that are being educated today to other states," he said. "One of my objectives is to educate them here, get an opportunity for them to get a job in any kind of field they want to get into, and make a difference in their lives."

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