Global refractory company to open North American HQ in Tampa
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Aug 2, 2022

An international supplier of refractory products says it will open a North American headquarters in Tampa — though it doesn’t know where yet.

RHI Magnesita, based in Vienna, Austria, on Tuesday announced plans to open a Tampa headquarters in 2023. It will serve as a hub for the company’s regional leadership team, Mark Plantan, the company’s director of legal and public affairs for North America, told the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Plantan said the new headquarters will employ 15 to 20 people, including Craig Powell, the company’s regional president for North America, as well as “several” members of the regional leadership team. RHI has a global head count of 13,000.

The Tampa office will serve as a regional and international collaboration hub, the company said. RHI Magnesita’s other regional offices are in India, China, the Netherlands and Brazil.

“In addition to aiding our sustainability efforts, Tampa also provides a great place to live, work and play, supporting our commitment to being a global leader in providing dynamic and meaningful career opportunities for team members at all levels within the company,” Plantan said in a statement.

Refractory materials are those that can withstand extreme heat in manufacturing.

“As a green leader in the refractory industry, we will utilize our Tampa headquarters to further support our initiative of reducing CO2 emissions. By investing in research and technology, as well as being diligent and deliberate, we are creating change,” Powell said in a statement.