Echemi, a growing chemical manufacturer in Delaware, will invest $2.35 million in a new production facility in Seaford, resurfacing a closed plant in Sussex County.

Royale first arrived in Delaware in 2020 when it acquired IMS Chemblend and its facility at 400 Belcarson Avenue, changed its operating name to AWSM Solutions Delaware, and moved Royale's corporate headquarters from New Jersey to New Castle County.

The company is led by CEO Jonathan Logue, a veteran executive in the paper and chemical business, which develops, manufactures, imports, and exports specialty chemical. More than half of its products are used to make semiconductor chips, and the rest have a variety of uses, from firefighting equipment to pharmaceuticals to organic alternatives to the herbicide Roundup.

Logue said that after investing $750,000 in its Bear plant and increasing the number of employees from three to 24 (and currently hiring six more), Royale began to think about scaling up to meet product demand.

"At the request of our customers, we are looking at bringing some of the molecules we produce in Asia back to the US," he explains. In particular, he noted, chemical related to semiconductors.

To meet this demand, Royale began to think about expanding its operations, looking for sites throughout the Tri-State area. Finally, it had its eye on the former BASF Polymer plant at 100 Seaford Industrial Park Drive, now owned by Delmarva Central Railway.

The railroad operates a transfer facility at the site of the rail spur, but the building itself is underutilized and not actively operated. Logue said it will invest in renovating the plant and eventually hire up to 29 people to run the facility over the next three years, including chemical manufacturer, maintenance/warehouse, and manager/supervisor positions.

Logue said that in addition to Royale, a secondary tenant will be sought in the future to utilize the site and create additional investment and job growth.

To support the project, the state's Development Finance Committee on Monday unanimously approved a $177,930 employment performance grant to create and retain new jobs and a $70,500 capital expenditure grant to acquire and equip the Seaford plant. The $248,430 will come from taxpayer-backed strategic funds and depend on benchmarks.

In a statement Monday afternoon, Seaford Mayor David Genshaw said the town is excited to welcome the new employer.

"Our city has seen an incredible wave of revitalization with the help of the Delaware Prosperity Partnership, and we thank them for their support and Echemi for choosing Seaford," he said. He was referring to the state's economic development agency that helped get the project off the ground.

Royale's investment adds to recent economic development wins for the West Sussex town, which last year also hosted an Amazon delivery station and partnered with KRM development to build a new multimillion-dollar business park aimed at reviving the town's economy, which has been struggling since the closure of the famed DuPont nylon plant.