EPI HAS ANNOUNCED its decision to relocate its De Queen Plant to Nashville. Company president John Graves said the deteriorated condition of the De Queen building and the departure of Husqvarna were major factors in the company's decision.
Missouri-based Engineered Products Industries' (EPI) will begin relocating its De Queen plastic-molding plant later this year, according to senior company officials.
In a statement released on Sept. 1, EPI President John Graves said the company has entered into negotiations to purchase the former Ox Bodies building in Nashville, 35 miles southeast of De Queen.
Graves cited the departure of Husqvarna and the deteriorated condition of the De Queen plant as major concerns for the future growth of EPI. Husqvarna is currently in the process of relocating to Nashville and purchases about 90 percent of the plastic molds produced at EPI, creating "a major logistical and economic motivation to go with them."
Graves said the new and modern Ox Bodies building will place EPI not far from Husqvarna's Nashville plant. "The continued ability to be right next door to our customer gives us the competitive edge over China," he said.
Graves said the company has moved several times to follow Husqvarna's various plant relocations.
EPI officials said the poor state of the De Queen building, as well as the difficulty and cost of expansion, were other factors in their decision to relocate the plant.
"It is out of a responsibility to our customer that we have the ability to grow and have a quality building," Graves said. "We've grown out of the De Queen site and don't have an adequate way to expand."
The deal was sealed on Sept. 1 when the Nashville City Council approved to purchase the Ox Bodies building through $4.4 million in bonds and allow EPI to pay for it over a span of 15 years. The package of incentives also included a 65-percent property tax discount effective until EPI repays the city.
Graves said he hopes most of the company's De Queen employees will be able to continue their employment in Nashville, but he was unsure how many would be able to undertake the 70-mile round trip.
Another senior EPI official, however, said the company may not be able to ensure everyone's position, and that some workers said they would not drive to Nashville every day.
When asked if EPI would find enough skilled labor in Nashville for its needs - considering it would be competing for workers with Husqvarna and another plastics molding manufacturer - Graves said the possible shortage is "a major concern" but a risk that the company "believes is manageable."
Around 200 people are currently employed at EPI's De Queen Plant, with around 130 of them contracted out through De Queen-based Manpower, Inc. The company said it will likely seek additional workers once the relocation is completed.
EPI has not approved a date to begin the relocation, though Graves said it may fall around Dec. 1. He added the process will coincide with the final stages of the Husqvarna consolidation.
Graves reiterated that the decision to relocate was primarily economical. "The community in De Queen did everything it could to keep us, and I wish we could stay, but the proximity to our customer has always ensured our competitiveness."
While Nashville has rejoiced at EPI's decision, De Queen Mayor Billy Ray McKelvy said the relocation will be a blow to the city's economy. "It's a grim time for this area but we'll have to work through it," he said.
"The city, chamber of commerce and the county feel like we did everything we could to convince them to stay but, economically, the company feels it will not be able to grow here." Sep 3, 2010, 09:45
A MULTI-AGENCY RAID by local and state law enforcement recovered over $10,000 in stolen baby formula from several storage units in Horatio. According to investigators, the formula cans were stolen from stores across the country and were going to be resold to federal WIC distribution centers as far away as New Jersey. At these centers, the the stolen formula could be sold for two or three times its value. Check out the Sept. 9 edition of The De Queen Bee for more information.
Sep 3, 2010, 10:05
Vandervoort women killed in Hwy 71 accident
SEVIER COUNTY – An accident on Highway 71 claimed the life of a Vandervoort woman in the early hours of Aug. 27, according to a report by the Arkansas State Police.
The report states that Tonya Robb, a 49-year-old resident of Vandervoort, was killed when a vehicle driven by Amanda McAlister, a 19-year-old resident of Winthrop, crossed the centerline and hit Robb's 2001 Pontiac Van.
Because of the speeds at which the vehicles were traveling, Robb was killed while her three passengers were seriously injured.
One of the passengers had to be airlifted to Texarkana while the other two were taken to the De Queen Medical Center. Robb was pronounced dead on the scene by Sevier County Coroner Lawrence Chandler.
McAlister was also taken to the hospital and was charged with traveling left of center.
Sep 3, 2010, 10:02
B.A.S.S. program to protect local camps
THIS IS JUST SOME of the drugs and paraphernalia confiscated during a recent crackdown on local camping sites and outdoor recreational areas. To address the problem of littering and drug use at these areas, local wildlife officers have developed a program to get the community involved in protecting these fun yet vulnerable locations.
Drug use and littering have become a significant problem at local recreational areas. To protect these areas and to get the community involved at the same time, wildlife officers with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission have developed a program called Beautifying Arkansas’ Stream Systems or B.A.S.S. for short.
The B.A.S.S. program is a community oriented policing program that’s goals are to identify target areas of recreation around the community and attempt to not only clean up the areas, but also try to preserve them for future generations. It will be a joint coalition between the communities, the Arkansas Game and Fish, and local law enforcement.
B.A.S.S volunteers will be divided into several groups. The first group will be organized of several members of the community. Members who have private or leased land or just a recreational interest in a certain public fishing or swimming spot can volunteer to help police the area. They will donate some of their time to keep an eye on the area.
To read the complete article, please see the Sept. 2 edition of The De Queen Bee.
Users of the popular iPhone and other cellphones using AT&T service will be happy to hear that the City of De Queen has approved a request by the communications provider to install a cellphone tower within the city.
Currently, AT&T providers have limited service at best in this area, with dropped calls and zero bars a frequent occurrence. A service map on the AT&T website shows a significant "dead zone" around Sevier County where service is sporadic or even non-existant at times.
"When I have any service, I'll have to go out of the house and stand by the road holding my phone in the air to make a call or send a message," said David Glass, who lives in De Queen and is the manager of the local Fred's store. For others in the area, the situation is much more frustrating with service only available in a few random locations.
To read the complete article, please see the Sept. 2 edition of The De Queen Bee.
