New Wilson football factory, company's commitment to Ohio celebrated

ADA, Ohio — Although temperatures were in the mid-80s on Monday, Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted was outside throwing around a Wilson football with members of Ada High School's football team.

Mr. Husted was joined by the Ada community to celebrate the new Wilson football factory, which produces the balls used in the National Football League.

Wilson has occupied factory space in Ada since 1955, but in May, 2023, the company broke ground on a new facility that would end up becoming twice the former factory’s size.

“When we heard the opportunity to help secure an investment in this facility and make sure that the future of footballs in America’s game are made right here, we knew we had to step up and do our part,” Mr. Husted said.

The lieutenant governor was joined by state Rep. Jon Cross (R., Findlay), state Sen. Rob McColley (R., Napoleon), and Wilson’s plant manager, Andy Wentling.

“The people, the work they do, that is the power that we have in local communities to make great things happen,” Mr. Cross said.

The $15 million facility, which opened May 20, was funded through tax credits and state grants. Wilson considered six different sites across the United States for the facility, but Mr. Husted said that to keep it in Ada, the state had to prove it was financially competitive.

“JobsOhio offered grant money, we offered [Wilson] a tax credit, and then we used some infrastructure money as well,” Mr. Husted said.

The factory currently employs about 150 people, but Mr. Wentling said the expansion will add between 20 to 30 jobs over the next three years.

“We’re very grateful and thankful for the facility,” Mr. Wentling said. “And we’re also grateful for the people that came before us. Without the retirees, we wouldn’t be here today.”

Following the ribbon cutting, the public was invited into the factory to see how the footballs are made. Mr. Wentling said that while many corporations have moved to automated manufacturing, Wilson footballs are still all made by hand, from cutting the leather to tying up the final laces.

“A lot of other places would love to have this,” Mr. Husted said, acknowledging the production scene behind him after the tour. “But we said, ‘No, you already have the work force here, you have a community that is proud of it, we’ll level the playing field financially’ and really gave them no other option than to keep it here.”

“And it’s not going anywhere,” Mr. Wentling added.

The factory produces about 2,200 footballs a day, and the new facility is only going to speed up production. The new building is climate controlled and has conveyor belts across the length of the facility, making it easier to transport footballs from one side of the building to the other.

Ada Mayor Dave Retterer said the partnership between the corporation and the village has been symbiotic, with each entity helping the other, and he looks forward to growing it.

“We thank them for being here,” he said. “And we hope they’ve got another 50 or 100 years here.”