LORAIN — A Cleveland company that supplies new and refurbished recycling equipment to companies around the world is doing a little recycling of its own with its new Lorain location.

Ely Enterprises will soon take up residence in the former Lakeland Enterprises building at 3809 Broadway.

By May, the company should be operating in the 34,000-square-foot building, said owner Ken Ely Jr. The growing business now operates in about half that amount of space in Cleveland.

The company’s new location was once used by a company that prepared Ford Econoline vans for use as service vehicles, Ely said.

The company will use the space to refurbish equipment such as balers and bundlers to compress cardboard, paper, metal, plastics and other recyclables, Ely said.

“It was a very good fit — we’re making a few modifications,” Ely said.

Ely, of Avon Lake, said the company has 20 employees, and 10 more could be hired in the next three years. He said the company did not seek tax abatements or other incentives to move to Lorain.

The prospect of a new employer delighted Lorain Service Director Robert Gilchrist, who called the move “very good news.”

On Monday, Lorain City Council rezoned the property from general business to light industry to accommodate the project, he said.

Ely said his company, founded in 1981, supplied and installed all of the equipment in the Allied Waste recycling facility in Lorain County. It has customers all over the world, including in Russia, New Zealand and Germany, he said.

“Our customers vary from Discount Drug Mart to companies as large as Ford, Honda and Toyota,” said Ely, who added that he doesn’t believe he’s related to the family that founded Elyria.

Contact Cindy Leise at 329-7245 or cleise@chroniclet.com.

 

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