On Wednesday, local and regional leaders got a chance to tour the plant for the first time since the company started operations three months ago. The plant provides corrosion protection for steel products.

The Benwood location is one of 11 across the country.

"We were looking to expand east of our Canton facility,” said Beth Hood, Chief Financial Officer for North American Galvanizing. “Found a great location, there's a good local workforce."

Local leaders said they’re grateful for the opportunity to play host to a new business.

"Manufacturing jobs are the ones who support your retail stores. So this is a good start for our area," said Benwood Mayor Ed Kuca.

"Sometimes you take two take two steps forward, you take one back,” said Senator Jeff Kessler D-WV. Kessler said with Monroe County’s Ormet plant recently announcing its plans to cut hundreds of jobs, he’s happy to see 20 or 40 jobs created in the Benwood area.

Kessler said it's not likely that the Valley will see another large steel plant employing thousands of people. But instead, the area's future may lie in smaller specialty plants, like North American Galvanizing.

"I think it's important that we capture that opportunity and bring that business here to West Virginia. If we don't it's going to go somewhere else,” he said.