Manufacturer will open plant in Sikeston, brings 50 jobs to area

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A new company will mean some 50 new jobs for Sikeston and Southeast Missouri.

Simon Halliday, general manager and owner, announced Wednesday his company, Ace Building Systems, which manufactures floor, wall and roof panels used in the construction of residential, multifamily and light commercial buildings, will fill the industrial site at 821 W. Wakefield Ave.

Halliday, who is from Sydney, Australia, said Ace Building Systems searched nationwide before deciding to locate its first American manufacturing plant in Sikeston.

"The building is unique. We looked nationwide and found only two that would fill our needs," Halliday said. He also cited the location of the community, noting it was accessible to the company's market, which will be primarily the Midwest and East Coast.

In moving to Sikeston, Ace Building Systems is making a $1.4 million investment in the community, bringing in equipment and locating at least a dozen of its officials. Workmen will begin moving machinery into the 110,000-square foot building Monday.

While the Sikeston plant is the first for Ace Building Systems, Halliday predicted another two may open in the next 12 months.

"Sikeston will be a pilot plant," Halliday said. "It will be the most up-to-date, efficient plant in the world. It will have the best equipment, and we will provide the best training we can."