BRIDGEVILLE – Sussex County has offered its biggest county loan yet to help Miller Metal Fabrication to build a new warehouse and consolidate operations.

Sussex County Council approved a $ 5 million loan offer from the ExciteSussex Fund Tuesday, the culmination of a four-year effort by Sussex County Economic Development Director Bill Pfaff. But Miller Metal Fabrication has yet to accept the loan, as other financing options are on the table as well.

“We requested funding from various sources and we did not receive all the information from the participating financial institutions. We haven’t made a final decision, ”said Martin Miller III, senior account manager for Miller Metal Fabrication.

Miller Metal Fabrication is seeking funding to build a new 60,000 square foot warehouse this will give the manufacturer the opportunity to expand its operations on a 25-acre parcel at the intersection of US Highway 13 and Newton Road, next to its existing warehouse. The new facility will double its existing area.

The hope is that the manufacturer can close its second site in Greensboro, Md., And relocate its staff to Bridgeville and hire 20 more employees, Pfaff said.

This would mean that the new warehouse in Bridgeville would have 141 employees in total, compared to the 111 employees currently.

Miller Metal was founded in 1984 by Martin Miller Jr., an inventor of food processing equipment who created manufacturing solutions such as machines that twist pretzels and pack potatoes. Translating that success into machinery, Miller Metal started out as a 2,500 square foot workshop in a Bridgeville backyard.

According to 2020 figures, Miller Metal achieves around $ 18 million in sales per year, and historical customers include Volvo, Vulcan, Baltimore Aircoil, and the US Department of Defense.

“This is a great public benefit, but it is outside the original scope of the program,” Pfaff told the board.

The Excite Sussex Fund was launched in 2018 as a joint venture with Discover Bank and the National Development Council to incent small and large businesses to relocate their businesses to Sussex County. Eligible businesses must have at least 10 full-time employees and have been in business for at least two years.

Loan amounts vary between $ 250,000 and $ 1 million with an interest rate of 4%. The repayment period ranges from 10 years, if the loan is used for personal property like machinery or equipment, to 25 years, if the loan is used for the acquisition or renovation of real estate.

The highest loan offered to date by Excite Sussex is $ 1.4 million to Tail bangers, a dog treat shop, to buy land in Millsboro and expand its activities.

The loan operates on a matching basis from Discover Bank and the Grow Delaware Fund, managed by the National Development Council, but Pfaff was able to present the incentive offer to Miller Metal. The Grow Delaware Fund will pay $ 2.5 million, Discover Bank will cover $ 1.8 million, and Sussex County will pay $ 625,000.

Miller Metal also received $ 313,000 from the Transportation Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (TIIF) in 2020 to build a new driveway that will not disrupt traffic on Newton Road.