Giant Henderson manufacturing facility to hire hundreds

A major manufacturer will move its operations from California to Nevada, with the opening of a massive Henderson manufacturing facility that’s now officially under construction.

In the first two years of operation, Haas Automation plans to hire 500 workers at its 2.4 million-square-foot facility at 2055 Via Inspirada and 1,400 within five years, the company said. Haas plans to invest more than $400 million into the land and construction of the facility.

The arrival of the company is expected to diversify Henderson’s economy and attract other high-tech companies.

State, county and city officials gathered in Henderson on Wednesday to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new Haas Automation facility. Speakers included Gov. Joe Lombardo, Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero, Haas founder and CEO Gene Haas and more. Gene Haas is also the founder of two racing teams, Nascar’s Haas CNC Racing and Formula One’s Haas F1 Team.

Haas Automation is the largest manufacturer of CNC machine tools in the country. CNC tools are automated tools like mills, lathes or drills that use computer instructions to manipulate materials.

At the event, speakers praised Haas Automation, as well as brought attention to the economic development, diversity and resilience the facility will bring to the community.

The facility broke ground in 2020 to grade the site and add underground utilities; developers Triliad Development had an expected finish date of late 2022. Delays due to COVID-19, supply chain issues and increased construction costs forced the company and developers to push the opening date back to the end of 2026.

‘What a momentous day’

Lombardo said he met the Haas founder at the Miami Beach F1 race in 2022 and had a “robust” discussion about the Haas facility and shared interest in F1.

“He assured me that, absolutely, the state of Nevada is where he wanted to be, more specifically Henderson,” Lombardo said. “We shook on it, and I had all the confidence in the world that he was a man of his word.”

Lombardo went on to laud Nevada as a business friendly state that is “logistically attractive” with low taxes, which he attributes to the manufacturing growth the state has seen. Manufacturing jobs in Nevada have increased by 61 percent and overall employment grew 26 percent from 2012 to 2022, the governor said.

“As we all know, machine tools are the core of American manufacturing,” Lombardo said. “Advanced manufacturing will able our state to attract quality employers and good paying jobs that contribute to economic diversity and resilience.”

Haas Automation already received $10.5 million in tax abatements in 2022 from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. In return, they would create 500 jobs within its first two years, which would grow to 1,400 in five years, according to the GOED.

“Thank you for allowing us to be your partner,” said Lombardo as he stepped down from the podium. “What a momentous day.”

Mayor Romero said she is excited to put an end to the speculation about when Haas Automation will break ground, saying people always ask her “when’s Haas going to start?”

“We believe this project will be a mighty economic engine for the city of Henderson,” Romero said. “Today we are more confident than ever because Haas is the right fit for Henderson because of its long-term commitment to our community.

Romero said Henderson laid the groundwork for Haas when they “acquired hundreds of acres” of federal land in 2009 to focus on advanced manufacturing, and Haas was willing to “take a chance” on the region and has been “incredible partners.”

‘Big challenge’

Taking the podium last, Gene Haas said he’s “never seen anything get built so fast here.”

“We are the last machine builder in the United States and it’s not an easy position to be in,” he said. “It is a big challenge for us to move our operations from California.”

Haas thanked Nevada for providing them with a “valuable piece of real estate” that will allow them to put all of their operations under one roof; something he said is “virtually impossible” in other parts of California.

“Nevada, I think, fits our personality,” he said. “And, it’s so close to California, you won’t even miss it.”

Contact Emerson Drewes at edrewes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @EmersonDrewes on X.