The company, which also operates facilities in Owatonna, Minn., and Statesboro, Ga., said it will begin construction on a $25 million Washington County facility in May, with completion scheduled for April 2007.

The Governor's Office of Economic Development Board agreed in February to pay the company $3,000 per job for each worker it adds, up to as many as 250 people.

The company must hire workers before receiving any of the cash incentive under the state's Industrial Assistance Fund, said Michael Sullivan, spokesman for the GOED board. Workers also must be hired within five years after the facility opens for the company to receive any incentive money, he said.

Company officials said they wouldn't have any problems meeting the terms of the incentive offer. The new facility, which will serve the Western United States, will employ up to 300 people within three years after the facility opens, said Christine Shaffer, Viracon spokeswoman.

According to the company's incentive application, the 100 to 145 entry-level employees hired in the first year in St. George will be paid about $23,900, 17 percent higher than the Washington County median salary of $20,300.

The company said it considered a number of Western cities with good transportation links and quality labor, but narrowed their focus in recent months to St. George and Tucson, both of which offered incentive packages.

Laura Shaw, a spokeswoman for the recruiting agency, Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities, Inc., said Tucson offered Viracon an incentive package worth $4 million, but none of it was in cash, such as Utah's offer. Tucson's package included items such as tax credits, job training and property tax abatements.

"We were sad to lose them [to Utah] but thrilled to be a finalist," Shaw said.

Viracon, a part of Apogee Enterprises Inc., produces high-performance glass products, including tempered, laminated, insulating, silk-screened and high-performance coatings.

lesley@sltrib.com