LEESBURG — In a press release dated Jan. 31, KTH Leesburg Products LLC (KLP) announced a $5 million expansion of its Leesburg plant. Work is expected to begin later this month.

Vice President and Plant Manager Dan Thornton reported that the construction will add approximately 50,000 square feet to the current 375,000-square-foot building. It will be contracted through Gray Construction Company of Birmingham.  

Thornton also said the expansion is related to additional work KLP will be doing to support the newly-announced Acura MDX production by Honda in Lincoln. KLP’s Acura MDX mass production is set to begin in early 2013.  

Additionally, the employment impact at KLP for this add on will result in 15-20 new positions being created.

“This is an exciting announcement for us and our community,” Thornton said in the printed statement. “With today’s unemployment statistics higher than 8 percent in Alabama we are truly honored to be working for an automotive company such as Honda, which is thriving in the automobile market”. 

Thornton added: “KLP is very appreciative to be located in the town of Leesburg and Cherokee County. The majority of our associates are local. Since our inception in 2001, this entire area has been very supportive to KLP’s growth.”