OMB Valves of Italy has selected Stafford, southwest of Houston, for its Western Hemisphere headquarters. OMB Valves plans to invest USD 5.5 million in a 42,000sq/ft building at North Promenade and U.S. 90A. The move will bring 20 jobs to Fort Bend County. A second phase will double the number of jobs and the size of the facility in two to five years.

The company's products are used in both upstream and downstream applications in the energy industry.
The Stafford office is projected to generate upwards of USD 30 million in annual sales, said Southard, who opened a sales office in March in Sugar Land. OMB Valves has annual sales of about USD 135 million worldwide. The facility will handle business for North and South America and ship products worldwide.

The city of Stafford and Fort Bend County provided tax abatement incentives to OMB Valves. The company also can take advantage of Freeport tax exemptions on qualifying inventory from the city, school and water districts. Capital Commercial Investments is handling construction on the project. Groundbreaking is targeted for March and completion is predicted in August. The property will be built on a site purchased from Midway Cos.