Hailo USA brings 200 jobs to Elbert County
Aluminum manufacturer locates headquarters in Elberton, invests $10 million
Gov. Nathan Deal announced today that Hailo USA, a division of the Haiger, Germany-based Hailo GmbH & Co.KG, will open its headquarters and a wind turbine component manufacturing facility in Elberton. Hailo USA produces climbing and service lift systems, platforms, railings, shieldings, doors and other mechanical components for wind turbine towers. The company will invest $10 million and create 200 new jobs over five years.
“Hailo USA’s decision to locate its headquarters and manufacturing facility in Georgia illustrates how our workforce, logistics infrastructure, business climate and other assets make Georgia one of the best places nationwide for business,” Deal said. “The significant number of jobs Hailo is creating will have an immediate impact in Elbert County and throughout that region. I am glad to welcome Hailo USA to Georgia.”
Hailo USA will produce customized mechanical tower internals such as climbing and service lift systems, platforms, railings and mounting brackets for wind towers constructed by the leading turbine manufacturer in the United States. In its move to Georgia, the company is expanding and adding production
capacity to meet the growing needs of its customers in the wind energy industry. Hailo is also a supplier to more than 25 original equipment manufacturers, and has a product portfolio that includes ladder and fall arrest systems, service lifts, platforms, railings and staircases among other products. The
company’s presence in Georgia enhances the state’s visibility in the supply chain for the wind energy sector.
“We are excited to announce that Hailo has chosen Elberton as the company’s new headquarters. We carefully reviewed different states and counties and found that this area fulfills all the business and social criteria that Hailo has set as the company’ global standard in order to support the future growth of the company,” said Hailo USA CEO Steffen Kosir. “Additionally I am proud to announce that my executive management will relocate with the company. This action speaks volumes for the company as well as the area.”
Elbert County became one of Georgia’s Certified Work Ready Communities of Excellence in December 2009. This community is home to a highly skilled pool of talent for operations such as the Hailo USA manufacturing operation, which will facilitate the company’s efforts to staff its local workforce. The Georgia Work Ready program works with counties throughout Georgia to ensure that the state’s workforce remains a primary competitive advantage.
“It is energizing to have a company of the caliber of Hailo join our business community,” said Elberton Mayor Larry Guest. “We look forward to watching its unique product being manufactured right here in Elberton for many years to come.”
In addition to the availability of its skilled workforce, Elberton was selected as the new home for Hailo USA for its proximity to the company’s domestic supply chain and Georgia’s international seaports, educational resources, business climate and favorable quality of life.
“Hailo is a welcome addition to Elbert County,” said Elbert County Commission Chairman Tommy Lyon. “It brings a desired investment to the community and it is a wonderful opportunity for our workforce.”
Quick Start, the nation’s No. 1 workforce training program, was included among the deciding factors for Hailo’s decision to do business in Georgia. The company will use Quick Start to provide specialized custom training in welding, assembly and quality systems for the new hires at the Elberton facility. Quick Start
provides customized training free of charge to qualified new, expanding and existing companies creating jobs in Georgia.
The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) partnered with the Development Authority of Elbert County to bring the Hailo USA headquarters and manufacturing operation to Georgia. GDEcD International Project Manager Jim Blair managed this project on behalf of the state.
“Hailo USA has some appealing opportunities both for Georgia’s manufacturing and alternative energy sectors,” said GDEcD Commissioner Chris Cummiskey. “The jobs being created will also be a real benefit to this region that has been particularly hard hit by the economic downturn. We welcome Hailo to Georgia’s growing list of international businesses, and look forward to the company’s success in our state.”
About Hailo USA
Hailo USA is a division of Hailo GmbH & Co.KG, a mid-sized family owned company based in Haiger, Germany, and is a leading brand in Europe for aluminum household and DIY ladder systems as well as waste solution systems. Founded in 1947, Hailo has manufacturing operations in Germany, France, India, Hungary, China, Brazil and the United States. Hailo USA was established in 2000 in Holbrook, N.Y, and today supplies more than 25 OEMs. www.hailo.us and www.hailo.com
Hailo, USA Lift and Ladder System
Pilgrim's investing $18.5 million in Elberton plant
A fire in September may have temporarily slowed things down at Pilgrim’s formerly known as Pilgrim’s Pride), but Plant Manager James Waites told the Rotary Club of Elberton last week this community’s biggest employer has fully recovered - and the Brazilian company that now owns Pilgrim’s intends to invest $18.5 million in the facility here.
On Monday one of six production lines shut down so that plant workers can install all new equipment on a “fully cooked” line at the plant.
The line being shut down is now a “partially cooked” line and the process of converting that line will take until April 28, according to Waites.
Most of the $18.5 million upgrade at the plant will be for new equipment on the new “fully cooked” line, said Waites.
While the renovation of the line is in process, Waites said employees who work that line will have an option to stay on at the plant or accept a temporary layoff.
Currently Pilgrim’s employs 623 people over three shifts at the plant on Old Middleton Road.
The total payroll, including benefits for employees, totals $22.6 million a year, said Waites.
Pilgrim’s takes in 400,000 pounds of raw material a day, said Waites.
He added that the plant in Elberton does not slaughter chickens. The company gets its chicken from slaughter facilities in Athens, Boaz, Ala. and Chattanooga, Tenn.
“We have a very stable work force at Pilgrim’s in Elbert County and I’m surprised at the number of people who have worked there for many years,” said Waites, who has been with the company in Elberton for a little more than a year now. “They are a committed group of people, I’ll say that. We have folks who come here from Calhoun Falls and others who come from Lincoln County.”
The company runs two production shifts (first and second) and a sanitation shift overnight.
Waites said the Brazilian company that now owns Pilgrim’s operates out of Denver. Previously Pilgrim’s Pride was operated out of Texas. The company’s sales over a period of one year is approximately $13.6 billion, said Waites.
The parent company in Brazil owns and operates beef, pork and poultry facilities, Waites said.
Insulation company to bring 30 jobs
By Gary Jones, The Elberton Star
A Canadian businessman has purchased the old Elberton silk mill building (Glen Raven), where he hopes very soon to be producing an insulation material that is on the cutting edge of technology.
Rob Abramovitch, president of the Zeroloft Corporation, said he hopes to be up and running during the second quarter of 2011. Right away he intends to hire a plant manager and a human resource manager for the operation, which will initially provide about 30 job opportunities in the community. With expected demand for the insulation (made with a product called “aerogel”), Abramovitch said he believes the number of jobs could double and maybe triple before the end of 2011.
“We have people who want us to produce now,” Abramovitch said last week on a visit with local officials and the local development authority. “We have signed contracts now to produce the material ... we have a Norwegian company that wants us up and running as soon as possible.”
According to Abramovitch, his search for a suitable facility to meet his operational needs ended when he found the old Glen Raven facility.
“When we (Abramovitch and his chief engineer) walked into the building we knew right away this is what we need,” said Abramovitch. “The building more than suits our needs and we have the necessary power and space to grow. I am very impressed that this city is forward thinking enough to have available the high speed and optical lines.”
Abramovitch, who has worked with several businesses in Atlanta for the past seven years, said coming to Elberton is a pleasure.
“I’m tickled pink to have found Elberton,” he explained. “Instead of working in an anonymous mass I’ve come to a place where the people and the community are accountable. I can look everyone I’m dealing with in the eye here.”
In January the company will begin setting up machinery in the facility and testing and training will follow. Abramovitch said he will work closely with the local office of the Georgia Department of Labor in finding employees for the facility. The insulation being produced by Abramovitch’s company using aerogel will be among the best insulation materials in the world. The applications for the product are endless but Abramovitch said most of what is produced in Elberton will be for insulation in clothing.
Wolfgang Bruns, President/CEO of Möllertech; Mayor Larry Guest, City of Elberton;
Commission Chairman Tommy Lyon, Elbert County; Dev. Authority Chairman Jackson McConnell;
Dev. Authority Executive Director Anna Grant Jones
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Sonny Perdue
GOVERNOR
German-based Plastics Manufacturer Locates Plant in Elberton
Möller Tech to create 75 jobs, invest $9.75 million
ATLANTA, August 2010 — Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that Bielefeld, Germany-based plastics manufacturer Möller Tech will locate a manufacturing plant in Elberton. The project is expected to create 75 direct jobs, and represents a $9.75 million investment.
“Georgia has a vibrant advanced manufacturing industry that is aided by our strategic assets like QuickStart,” said Governor Perdue. “Our talented workforce, transportation network and location make our state an ideal home to growing advanced manufacturing companies.”
A division of the Möller Group, Möller Tech produces injection molded plastic parts for the automotive industry. The company’s Elberton plant will manufacture plastic injection molding for BMW. In addition to BMW, Möller Tech’s primary customers include Volkswagen, Mercedes, Toyota and Honda.
“It has been an exciting time for MöllerTech to find a home and set up a new plant in a Southern state to supply our automotive customers. We looked across different states and were very pleased to settle in Elberton,” said Möller Tech CEO Wolfgang Bruns. “We found that the plant, together with the attitude and commitment from the local community and Development Authority was second to none, and we look forward to a long, healthy and prosperous future together.”
Elbert County was certified as one of Georgia’s Certified Work Ready Communities of Excellence in December 2009. This community is home to a highly-skilled pool of talent for operations such as the Möller Tech manufacturing operation, which will facilitate the company’s efforts to staff its local workforce. The Georgia Work Ready program works with counties throughout Georgia to ensure that the state’s workforce remains a primary competitive advantage. Möller Tech will locate in an existing 130,000-square-foot Elberton facility already outfitted for plastics manufacturing.
“We are excited Möller Tech chose Elbert County for its manufacturing plant, and look forward to welcoming the company to our corporate community,” said Jackson McConnell, chairman of the Development Authority of Elbert County. “This project represents the successful collaboration between the state, county, city and company representatives to secure this location. I look forward to the positive economic impact Möller Tech will bring to our county and this region.”
Georgia’s nationally recognized Quick Start workforce training program will assist Möller Tech’s manufacturing operation in preparing new hires for work at the Elberton facility. Quick Start provides customized workforce training free-of-charge as an incentive for companies to create new jobs in Georgia.
Georgia Department of Economic Development senior project manager Chip Mitchell assisted the company with this location.
About The Möller Group
The Möller Group is a privately owned company now in its eighth generation of family management. Its success is based on the Group’s global orientation and innovative technological know-how. The Möller Group’s core expertise lies in the areas of plastics technology and the manufacture of flexible products.
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Star Granite and Bronze Named Manufacturer of the Year
Atlanta, GA – April 15, 2010: Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue presented Elberton’s Star Granite and Bronze with this year’s award for Georgia Manufacturer of the Year in the small company category. Star Granite and Bronze joined the Boeing Company in Macon and Perry’s Frito-Lay facility as the state’s top three manufacturers of the year.
The annual awards ceremony is the highlight of Georgia Manufacturing Appreciation Week, which is co-hosted by the Technical College System of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Economic Development. This year, more than a thousand business leaders were in attendance at the ceremony held at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park.
“I want to thank Governor Perdue, the Department of Economic Development and the Technical College System of Georgia for selecting us for this prestigious award,” said company owner Rusty Adams, accepting the award. “It already was a great honor to be nominated, and I never thought we’d win it. This award is truly the greatest honor we’ve received.
“I want to acknowledge Athens Technical College,” Adams continued. “They train many people in fields of benefit to the granite community. The business community has benefited greatly from Athens Tech’s Elberton Campus. And Georgia Quick Start. What a great group. They made our new bronze foundry startup a much easier process.”
Star Granite and Bronze is a hometown success story. When Adams purchased the company in 1972, there were only 12 employees. Since then, Adams has turned this operation, which was originally founded in 1951, into a thriving, high-tech, industry leader, producing a full line of granite products that includes benches, signs and monuments.
Last year, Adams expanded his successful operation again, investing more than $2.5 million in a new state-of-the-art foundry to create bronze architectural and memorial plaques.
Today, Star Granite and Bronze contributes millions to the local economy and has an influence that goes far beyond its payroll. The company supports a variety of community programs, including the Elberton Rotary, the Elbert County Chamber of Commerce, and Elbert County High School Band Boosters. In addition, Star Granite and Bronze’s annual “Family Christmas Foundation” helps buy Christmas gifts for underprivileged families in the Elbert County area. The company matches each employee donation dollar for dollar.
Adams places a premium on training and education in his community. That’s why Star Granite and Bronze has donated computer equipment to the Elbert County School system, reimburses employees for job-related educational programs, and has partnered with Athens Technical College and Georgia Quick Start to prepare its growing workforce.
In proclaiming April 12-16 Manufacturing Appreciation Week, Gov. Sonny Perdue noted the tremendous contribution manufacturing makes to the state’s economic well-being. More than 9,000 manufacturing facilities are located in Georgia, according to the proclamation, and they provide 408,427 jobs and contribute more than $100 billion to the state’s economy each year.
The three winning companies were nominated by business and civic leaders and chosen for their excellence and contributions to the state’s economy and their respective local communities.
Pictured are: GA Dept. of Economic Development Commissioner Ken Stewart, Technical College System of GA Commissioner Ron Jackson, State of Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue, Star Granite and Bronze Owner Rusty Adams, Star Granite Management Mark Adams and Star Granite Management Rick Adams.
Elbert County is a Certified Work Ready Community!
Also recently, Elbert County was named a Certified Work Ready community and on Wed., March 17, a celebration was held to commemorate the occasion. Local leaders along with representatives from the Governor's Office of Workforce Development celebrated Elbert County's acheivements. Pictured are CWR team Leader Anna Grant Jones with Governor's Office of Workforce Development representative, Fred McConnel. He is presenting a post-certification grant of $10,000 to the community to be utilized to publicize the inititative and to assist the education community with continuing to raise the graduation rate. To learn more about the Certified Work Ready process, go to www.gaworkready.org.
The Development Authority also likes to inform the community of business successes in the area. To read the latest newsletter, please click here.