Gates Corp. has opened a $19 million research, development and testing center in Douglas County with 60 employees.
The facility tests Gates products such as rubber belts, hoses and connectors, and how they respond to adverse conditions including extreme temperatures, vibration, abrasion and salt spray.
Staffing for the 87,400- square-foot center in Inverness Business Park came from 25 Gates employees in Denver, 30 workers from similar facilities in Illinois, and five new hires. Gates officials declined to disclose salary ranges at the plant.
Gates had considered Kansas City, Mo., and Atlanta for the center, but chose the Douglas County site because of the firm’s local employee base and for its proximity to Gates’ headquarters in lower downtown Denver, spokesman Ben Kelly said.
Gates received financial incentives from Douglas County of about $78,000 for job training and an undisclosed amount of property-tax rebates.
Gates Rubber Co. was established in Denver in 1911 and owned by descendants of founder Charles Gates until Tomkins Plc bought a majority stake in 1996 for $1.16 billion.
The former Gates complex at Broadway and Interstate 25 is being redeveloped into a mix of residential, retail and office uses.
Staff writer Steve Raabe can be reached at 303-820-1948 or sraabe@denverpost.com.
