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Great Dane Coming To Scott County
November 4, 2004
HUNTSVILLE Ñ New industry is coming to Scott County.
Scott County Mayor Dwight Murphy and Great Dane Limited Partnership announced on Wednesday (October 27) that the Savannah, GA.-based trailer manufacturer has purchased the former Wabash facility on Wabash Drive in Huntsville.
Wabash National Corporation ceased manufacturing operations at the facility in July 2001 and laid off all 273 employees. Since that time, the facility has stood vacant, but local officials have been working diligently for several months to recruit a business interested in acquiring the facility.
ÒThis has been a collective effort between the mayors of the towns, the county commission, the Chamber of Commerce and the industrial board,Ó Scott County Mayor Dwight Murphy said Friday. ÒThis has been ongoing since early February and all of those individuals deserve a lot of credit for their work.Ó
Great DaneÕs anticipated start-up date is sometime in the first half of 2005. Mayor Murphy said that there will be a grand opening scheduled at a later date and that his office Òwill make availableÓ information regarding the submission of resumes and applications. He said the total workforce at the facility will be Òup to 250,Ó but cautioned that it will be a building process that wonÕt happen overnight.
ÒThis will allow a lot of Scott Countians who are having to drive out of the county to come home to work,Ó Murphy said. ÒWeÕre the best county manufacturers in the world because this countyÕs been doing it since the early 1980s. I think the reason they came here is because of the great labor force here.Ó
The announcement ended months of speculation about the Wabash facility. Huntsville Mayor George Potter announced publicly during the October 25 meeting of the Huntsville Board of Mayor and Aldermen that Great Dane had finalized its deal with Wabash, but the official announcement didnÕt come until two days later.
Great Dane actually committed to coming to Scott County on October 20, but the formal announcement was withheld while Great Dane and Wabash worked out the specifics of the acquisition deal. Preparation of the facility for production work has already begun, and Great Dane announced last week that Sam Gupta, the companyÕs senior vice president of manufacturing, will lead those efforts.
With headquarters in Savannah and in Chicago, and with nine manufacturing plants across the U.S., Great Dane is considered an industry leader. The company manufactures dry van, refrigerated and platform trailers.
news@ihoneida.com
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