CRANSTON – Taco Comfort Solutions is seeking to expand its footprint locally, and internationally, as the company invests $1 million into plans for a new warehouse and lab facility in the city.
Meanwhile, the manufacturer, which specializes in high-efficiency heating, cooling, plumbing and irrigation products, is looking to hire about 130 employees globally, with at least 75 of those positions located in Rhode Island.
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The $1 million investment will fund initial zoning, architecture layouts and feasibility studies for a new, multimillion dollar facility on land the company owns across the street from its 1160 Cranston St. headquarters, Taco CEO Cheryl Merchant told Providence Business News.
“Right now, we are just doing the due diligence to see if it’s even a feasible project,” Merchant said, “but Taco is growing by leaps and bounds.”
The company experienced 24%-25% growth year-over-year in 2022, Merchant said, and is increasing its footprint in Vietnam, renting a new building in the Czech Republic and expanding its fabrication facility in Fall River, where Merchant says Taco is close to breaking ground on the new addition.
With this activity, Taco is outgrowing its current space in Rhode Island, said Merchant, who took over as CEO in 2020.
Many details on the potential Cranston facility, including its estimated price tag, are still forming, but the company intends to house new engineering labs in the planned building.
Taco currently has facilities in nine cities globally, and at least 500 employees in Rhode Island.
While Taco looks to expand those employment numbers, filling open positions hasn’t been easy; like many manufacturers, Taco has had difficulty attracting applicants who possess the position’s needed skills, on top of a dearth of applicants in general, Merchant said.
“It’s very difficult,” she noted. “We ended up bringing in recruiters on-site to live with us to get the job done in the time we need.”
The open positions call for a range of skilled workers, including software engineers, welders and compliance engineers.
Despite these hiring challenges, Merchant remains optimistic about the company’s ability to meet evolving needs, she said, noting that Taco recently launched System M, a non-CO2 producing air-to-water heat pump system, and continues to provide perennial services.
“Taco makes essential products,” Merchant said, “so you may back off from buying a car, but if you don’t have heat or water, you’re looking for help, products. So, we’re left having the opportunity to service essential needs for our customers, and we’re going to do that.”
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Voghel@PBN.com.
