Catalina Tempering, a glass tempering company, announced yesterday that it will open a 67,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Mount Airy, employing 20 people.

The announcement came after the Surry County Board of Commissioners voted Monday night to approve incentives of up to $77,209.60 for Project Tough, the code name for the Catalina Tempering project.

The company has purchased the former Kentucky Derby Hosiery building on Derby Street, which is off Factory Street. Mayor Jack Loftis said, “It’s a great building ... And I’m glad that it will continue to stay on our tax books. It will certainly be an advantage to the city and county.”

Todd Tucker, president of the Economic Development Partnership, said the company is already in the facility preparing it to be opened. He said the business will probably open sometime in January.

In a written statement Ed Rosengrant, vice president for Catalina Tempering, explained why the company chose to locate in Mount Airy.

“We are very excited about the opportunity to expand to the East Coast and particularly to Mount Airy,” said Rosengrant. “The area is central to our anticipated customer base, and there is an abundance of qualified labor in the area. The local government has provided a tremendous amount of assistance and has been a joy to work with. Catalina Tempering will be a mainstay in the community for many years to come.”

Tucker said this will be the first company that he is aware of in the area that produces heat-tempered glass on this scale.

The company agreed to produce 20 jobs, and Tucker said the EDP is talking with the company about when and how those jobs will be advertised. He said the Employment Security Commission will probably be used for advertisement.

“It’s another good step in providing jobs to the city of Mount Airy,” Tucker remarked.

The state and Duke Energy were involved in leading the company to Mount Airy, but in the end it was the city and county that provided incentives for the project.

The city of Mount Airy first approved incentives of up to $77,209.60, depending on the level of investment, spread over five years. The county voted this week to match that dollar for dollar. In return, the company must create up to 20 full-time jobs by 2012 and make a taxable investment at the site of $1 million to $4 million.

Tucker said the company was waiting to see if the county would pass incentives before it gave the final go ahead to release the name and commit to the project.

“They had a lot riding on that,” Tucker said.

This will be the company’s third window industry facility. Catalina Tempering is part of a larger group of companies called Glasswerks, headquartered in South Gate, Calif. Glasswerks has seven tempering and fabricating facilities in the United States and has been providing glass and mirror products for four decades.

“We’re delighted that this type of industry is coming here ... This is a totally new type of industry for us,” Loftis said

He mentioned that it would diversify the city’s business and that the high-skill jobs would not be likely to transfer overseas.

“That’s the type of industry that we’ve been diligently looking for,” Loftis explained.

Contact Meghann Evans at mevans@mtairynews.com or 719-1952.