Western Forge, a leading manufacturer of hand tools, announced the company will add 170 new jobs to the Colorado Springs plant in 2006 as they consolidate operations from their Murphy, N.C., plant that is scheduled to close. This announcement was particularly significant because it also retains a significant number of existing Colorado jobs that would have otherwise gone to North Carolina.

"This is a significant growth opportunity for our company, now celebrating 40 years as a corporate neighbor in Colorado Springs," said Barry Baum, president, Western Forge.

Baum added that Western Forge worked with state and local officials to finalize the package of job training funds and other relocation incentives that helped make the expansion possible. "These incentives were an important factor in our decision to move these jobs to our Colorado location," Baum said.

"Community leaders worked tirelessly to retain the current employees and attract the new positions." stated Chuck Broerman, business development representative for OEDIT. "The Colorado FIRST / Existing Industry program was instrumental in the company's decision to stay in Colorado."