Flooring manufacturers have been re-investing as the industry continues to climb out of the recession and two mills were recently honored by the state of Georgia for their efforts.
Engineered Floors was among the companies honored at the recent Georgia Economic Developers Association (GEDA) Deal of the Year awards, for its $450 million plans to expand in Northwest Georgia.The expansion will result in the creation of 2,000 new jobs in the region.
Robert E. Shaw, chairman and CEO of Engineered Floors, accepted the award on behalf of his company at GEDA's Oct. 21 event. "Our company's commitment to the region is reflected in our plans for this expansion that will more than double our workforce. We are excited to bring this opportunity to Northwest Georgia as we, as a company, grow," Shaw said. The Engineered Floors' expansion will take place in a series of phases over four years. "The award is well deserved, but Mr. Shaw's real legacy will be the thousands of jobs that Engineered Floors will provide to improve the lives of residents in our region for years to come," said Mike Babb, chairman of the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners. Mohawk Industries won the GEDA "Deal of the Year" award for the expansion of their Summerville, Ga. facility.
"This award represents the value of our project to multiple constituencies," said Mark Dye, vice president of recycling at Mohawk. "The Summerville expansion is a win for our company, of course, but it's also a win for our community thanks to the creation of 500 good new jobs. It's a win for our customers and consumers because of the exciting new products we'll be able to create, and it's a win for the environment because this entire expansion is a continuation of our commitment to sustainable manufacturing," said Mark Dye, vice president of recycling at Mohawk.
While accepting the award on behalf of Mohawk, Dye cited significant contributions to the project by State Senator Jeff Mullis; Chattooga County Sole Commissioner Jason Winters; Chris Cummiskey, Carl Campbell and the team at the Georgia Department of Economic Development; the Chattooga County Development Authority; David Tidmore and the Chattooga County Chamber of Commerce team; Mayor Harry Harvey of Summerville; Summerville City Manager Russell Thompson; and many members of the Mohawk organization. He also praised Governor Deal for making economic expansion and job creation top priorities for Georgia.
"The success of this project reflects the quality of the individuals, teams and organizations involved in bringing it to fruition," said Dye. "Their contributions have helped to make the Summerville facility expansion worthy of this recognition."
Keith Barclift, project manager at the Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority, nominated the Mohawk project, noting the expansion's impact on Chattooga County and the surrounding region.
At the Company's Summerville facility, Mohawk recycles billions of reclaimed plastic bottles and containers into polyester fiber used to produce carpet. Through the expansion project, Mohawk will improve the efficiencies of its recycling and manufacturing processes to produce soft polyester fiber with improved durability and greater stain resistance. Mohawk is the carpet industry leader in next generation soft products, and its Soft Appeal™ polyester collection expands the company's presence in that high growth category.
"The men and women at our Summerville facility contribute significantly to the company's success," said Dye. "We continue to invest in leading edge technologies because of our confidence in the skills and dedication of our people. The manufacturing improvements at Summerville allow Mohawk to create new, innovative products that will provide even more value to our customers, and the sustainable nature of the manufacturing process keeps millions of pounds of plastic out of our nation's landfills."
Mohawk employs thousands of people in Georgia and across the nation. For decades, the company has been a leader in Georgia's floor covering industry, which is a vital part of the state's economy. The company offers a complete line of flooring products including carpet, rugs, ceramic tile, stone, wood, laminate and vinyl. Mohawk is at the forefront of sustainable manufacturing through its transformation of recycled materials into fashionable flooring products and ranks among the leading recyclers of plastic bottles in North America.
GEDA is a non-profit association of professionals and volunteers who are involved with the economic development of the cities and counties of Georgia.
