After deal falls through, German manufacturer moves plant from O’Fallon to Mascoutah

A German company will take its planned light manufacturing and assembly operation to Mascoutah after negotiations with owners of the St. Clair County Auto Mall in O’Fallon stalled, a spokesman reported.

Pintsch North America, which specializes in railroad safety, worked out a deal with the owner of a grocery stores warehouse in Mascoutah, and relocated from Marion, Illinois, to 205 Harnett Street in Mascoutah on May 1.

Russell Pratt, president of Pintsch, said talks had broken down with Capital Automotive Real Estate Investment Trust, based in Virginia, which currently owns, and leases, the auto mall property. The company, which specializes in auto dealerships, purchased the property from Jamie Auffenberg.

In March, the O’Fallon City Council approved Pintsch’s rezoning request to renovate a 10,250-square-foot building on 1.76 acres at 141 Auto Court. That spot was used as the Auffenberg Dealer Group’s paint booth, repair facility and photo booth to fix and promote the vehicles it was going to sell.

The mall, located on 23 acres on U.S. Highway 50, has been vacant since July 2021, when Auffenberg moved its car dealerships to Shiloh, saying manufacturers and franchisors wanted major updates, and the buildings and parking lots were inadequate.

“The city of O’Fallon was great to work with,” Pratt said. He and his family live there.

“I was negotiating with the cars’ group. It took me a year to negotiate terms. When I got the contract, it was 80 pages,” he said. “I just was not comfortable with it.”

Because of some of the changes made to the contract, Pintsch’s attorney advised against signing.

Pratt said negotiations with Don Norrenberns went smoothly. The Norrenberns family had been in the grocery business for decades.

“There were no issues. The contract was eight pages. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to deal with than Don,” he said. “It worked out to be a better deal.”

Pintsch will be able to renovate a 13,000-square-foot building, which is more space than the previous site has.

The Pintsch companies are known internationally for railway wheel sensors, amplifiers, axle counting systems, and industrial products. Founded by Julius Pintsch over 175 years ago, the headquarters are in Dinslaken, Germany, with several other locations in that country and abroad.

Pintsch has four employees in Mascoutah, but in three to four years, Pratt foresees hiring up to 12 people.

“We want to grow it even more,” he said.

When he took over for the retiring company president in 2021, he was directed to build up the business in the U.S., he said.

Previously, products were flown into Chicago, then transported to Marion, but with Lambert International Airport in St. Louis having direct flights to Germany, they can decrease the travel time to Mascoutah.

Mascoutah City Manager Cody Hawkins said Pintsch has been going through the permit process to renovate the interior for office space.

The Route 4 commercial corridor is starting to “pick up some steam,” he said.

With the expansion at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, the city is primed for growth. The terminal project will add 53,000 square feet.

“It’s driving a lot of interest in the city,” Hawkins said of the airport expansion.

Another Business in Works for Auto Mall

EquipmentShare would like to move its equipment rental business into 117 Auto Court, which had been used for Auffenberg Pre-Owned vehicle sales and Allstate Insurance offices in O’Fallon, according to a proposal presented to the city.

Based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, it is a nationwide construction technology company. Plans are to renovate the 10,863 square foot building for its Advanced Solutions division. This division rents climate control equipment, compressed air systems, fluid solutions, power solutions, and industrial tooling solutions.

The proposed store would rent small mobile power generators, pumps, and portable air conditioning units. The space will have outdoor inventory.

After recommendations from the planning commission, the O’Fallon community development committee advanced EquipmentShare’s proposed planned use to the city council’s June 17 meeting. It could be up for final approval July 1.

For the auto mall site, Community Development Director Justin Randall has been working with the property owners to explore further options other than regional commerce.

“They’ve been open to look at different ideas and different concepts,” Randall said.