By By Chris Allen Baker / staff writer
May 7, 2002
Job-seekers in economically hard-hit Clarke County found new hope Monday with the arrival of a new industry.
USA Fabrics, based in Florence, Ala., has taken over a building on Highway 145 in Quitman, formerly used by Century Nazareth, a company that recently closed and sent its work to Honduras.
Rodney Peters, co-owner of USA Fabrics with James McKenna, said Clarke County was the right place at the right time.
Peters said the company will operate a knitting and dye plant for all kinds of clothing, similar to Burlington Industries which ended operations April 30 leaving more than 800 employees without jobs.
The plant's knitting operation has already started and the dye operation was scheduled to start today, Peters said.
About 50 employees are expected to be hired immediately and the plant could eventually reach about 400 employees in the next two years, Peters said.
Peters said USA Fabrics is a new company he and McKenna owns under the management of their company, A&R Enterprises. USA Fabrics is the company's only Mississippi business.
Paul Mosley, president of the Clarke County Board of Supervisors and District 4 supervisor, said the arrival of USA Fabrics is a welcome sight since the departure of industry in the area due to the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Peters said his company had been looking at Clarke County for about two months and chose the former Nazareth building because it was easily adaptable to USA Fabric's equipment.
Mosley said the county has other prospects in the works and future announcements may be forthcoming.