TCL Specialities is set to begin construction of two different plants in Marshall County this month – a petrochemical operation and a food ingredient plant. Construction of the plants, an estimated $150 million investment by the company, are anticipated to be completed late 2024.

During an announcement of the company’s plans last week, TCL’s chairman, Rangaswamy Parthasarathy, also known as Mr. Sarathy, said TCL enjoys being part of the community it operates in and hopes to do the same locally.

Sarathy noted TCL operates in a small community in India. He said the company’s founders set up trusts used to help run schools and colleges totalling 20,000 students in India.

He said he operates three schools in India with a total of 2,600 children. They also started a hospital 13 years ago. While he noted TCL cannot do such large-scale projects in the U.S. it still wants to be a part of the community.

“We realize there are many more stakeholders. … We have the larger community around us in Marshall and Wetzel counties,” he said.

“We can become a part of the community by investing in the community. … We’re going to need all of you and many more to help us live here and work here and grow here,” he added.

Moundsville City Manager Rick Healy said his city is ready for any potential philanthropic help TCL may want to offer.

“Anytime a business or agency wants to partner with the city, it’s a good thing,” Healy said. “Since I’ve been city manager, we’ve developed many good partnerships. These are helpful when you have certain projects where you need a little assistance in either money or support.

“Often, a grant requires a match and a business can help supply that,” he added. “We have many community events and sponsors help make those events better.”

Healy noted Moundsville would love to partner with TCL in the future as it has many free events it likes to hold for its residents.

“I could also see them partnering with us on special projects, and possibly even training events for police and fire,” he added.

Marshall County Commissioner Mike Ferro said though Sarathy did not mention any specific ideas, he believes it would be a good idea for the company to get in touch with Marshall County Schools’ vocational system in the future.

He added he has high hopes for the company and its future in the region. During the governor’s State of the State address last week and later at the groundbreaking in Moundsville, the TCL officials were “friendly and inquisitive.”

“They wanted to meet everyone,” Ferro said.

Ferro is hopeful the company will expand in the future as planned, and that other companies see what TCL did and come to the region as well.

Regarding the future TCL workforce, Sarathy said his company will hire experienced people but also younger people who need training.

“We’ll take young people from schools and colleges here,” he said, adding they would receive additional specialized training.

Sarathy said the majority of the company’s employees are people who started out as trainees and worked their way up, much like he did. The TCL plants are going to be built on about 20 acres of land the company is leasing from Covestro, a chemical producing company.

Sarathy said this will be Phase 1, with two more phases of development planned for the future.

The food ingredient plant is expected to produce about 30,000 tons of product (malic and fumaric acids) each year, and the petrochemical plant is anticipated to produce about 25,000 tons of chemicals (maleic anhydride from butane) each year.