"By building this new world-class facility, Airgas will be able to expand our market reach into Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, continuing to provide customers with solutions to their carbon dioxide and dry ice requirements," Airgas president and COO Glenn Fischer says. "This new site will create a stronger network of world-class plants in the Southeast U.S," he adds.

The company is currently relying on its Richmond, VA site and locations in Mississippi and Georgia to serve the southeast/mid-Atlantic region. While Airgas has not released specifications on the size of the plant, it has revealed that the building will house 50 employees and will have a 450 or 500-ft tall smokestack, much to many locals' consternation. Canada's Toromont Industries will serve as the project's contractor and is expected to complete construction in January 2003.