Commission approves $160,000 rural grant for Predator Armor equipment, citing near-term job gains

The Millard County Commission voted to award $160,000 from the county's Rural County Grant Program to Outdoor Ops (doing business as Predator Armor) to buy manufacturing equipment and support expansion at the company's Delta-area facility.

The grant recommendation came from the county's META (rural economic development) board and was presented to commissioners by Adam Richland, the board's representative, and by Colin Christiansen, owner of Outdoor Ops. Richland read the grant program's purpose, saying it is intended to "empower rural county governments to manage their own economic development opportunities" and listed eligible uses including business expansion, workforce development, and infrastructure improvements.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the award is intended to convert outsourced work into local manufacturing, create immediate jobs and make the area more attractive for further private investment. Outdoor Ops proposed using the funds primarily for a plasma cutter and a large press; company representatives said bringing those machines in-house would create five to six jobs immediately and allow faster scaling for larger government contracts.

Colin Christiansen, owner of Outdoor Ops, told commissioners the company has invested about $2 million in a new warehouse near Delta and that the proposed equipment would remove current production bottlenecks: "With that new building we're ready to have that growth, and this equipment is a help and a big step towards that." Adam Richland said the META board ranked applications by job creation and alignment with the grant's stated objectives before recommending the funding.

Commissioners debated whether to allocate the full $160,000 recommended by the META board or a smaller amount so the grant fund could support additional applicants. Some commissioners argued that smaller awards spread among many firms produce little economic traction; others said infrastructure investments (for example, water piping to serve the larger industrial area) could yield broader benefits. Richland and other presenters noted the board had considered infrastructure needs and had recommended separate allocations, including a $60,000 item identified for water piping to help extend municipal water service in the long term.

The commission considered an initial motion to fund $80,000 then adopted a substitute motion to follow the META board recommendation. The substitute motion to award $160,000 passed on an affirmative vote; the meeting record shows the commission adopted the META board's recommendation.

Funding source and limits: The award will come from the county's Rural County Grant Program allocation. Richland read the program language and emphasized that the grant contract terms require funds to be used for economic-development activities described in the county's program documents. Presenters and commissioners noted that the program can be structured in future years to include loans or other financing tools, but for the current funding cycle the board and the commission treated the money as grant funding tied to the program contract.

What happens next: Outdoor Ops said the equipment quotes and timing are in place; the company expects to install machines and begin hiring quickly after the county completes its contracting. Commissioners said the award does not preclude other applicants from returning to the META board for future funding rounds.

Closing note: Commissioners and the META board asked staff to better document and present future recommendations (equipment quotes, line-item budgets and any proposed infrastructure work) so the commission can evaluate partial awards or staged funding more easily.