Keystone Today

Gov. Tom Wolf recently announced that prefabrication company Guardian Booth will be relocating to Waynesboro, which will create 33 new jobs in Franklin County.

The project totals $4.5 million and involves Guardian Booth relocating its headquarters to Waynesboro from Orangeburg, N.Y., a recent press release from the governor’s office said. The company will also expand through acquiring Homes by Keystone in Waynesboro, where they will retain Keystone’s 20 workers.

“The relocation of Guardian Booth’s headquarters is a tremendous win for Pennsylvania,” Wolf said in the release. “This manufacturer will bring new jobs to Franklin County and retain employees when it purchases Homes by Keystone, which otherwise would have closed its doors. Between our prime northeast location and skilled workforce, the commonwealth has much to offer to manufacturing companies looking to set up shop and succeed in Pennsylvania.”

Guardian Booth’s relocation project will create 33 new full-time jobs over the next three years, the release said. The company received a funding proposal from the Department of Community and Economic Development for $165,000 through the Pennsylvania First grant, as well as a $106,000 workforce development grant for training of its workers. Guardian Booth was also encouraged to apply for the Manufacturing Tax Credit program.

The Governor’s Action Team (GAT) was responsible for coordinating the project. More than $17 billion has been invested by GAT over the seven years since Wolf took office, and the funding has supported 420 projects, created more than 47,000 new jobs and retained more than143,000 other jobs.

Mike Ross, president of the Franklin County Area Development Corporation (FCADC), also took the opportunity to welcome Guardian Booth to Waynesboro.

“The economic development support of its acquisition of Homes By Keystone and the relocation of its current operation from Orangeburg, New York, which will result in $4.5 million capital investment, the creation of 33 new jobs and the retention of 20 existing employees reflects a collaborative effort of the FCADC and the Governor’s Action Team,” he said in the release.

Guardian Booth owner and CEO Abraham Taub expressed his appreciation for the welcome.

“We are so grateful to the state of Pennsylvania for welcoming us into the community and for the great opportunity that this presents to our company in its entirety,” he said in the release. “Our strategic directive was to expand our geographical reach to support customers throughout the mid-Atlantic, northeast, Midwest and southeast while increasing our manufacturing footprint over the next few years; Franklin County was the perfect fit in terms of location. We feel lucky to have found Homes by Keystone which has lots of synergy to our existing business model and allows Guardian Booth to expand its portfolio into modular prefabricated homes.”

Guardian Booth LLC manufacturers prefabricated booths for guards, parking attendants, ticket vendors and cashiers. It is also a leader in portable security enclosures and modular office enclosures.