Georgia governor Nathan Deal announced that Mohawk Industries will convert two manufacturing facilities in Dalton and Rome, creating 420 new jobs and investing about $85 million into the two conversion projects over the next two years.
“Mohawk’s expansion in Georgia underscores how a premier flooring manufacturer helps Georgia’s entire floor covering industry remain competitive,” said Deal. “Mohawk’s presence here has been a magnet for flooring suppliers and customers, and this expansion reflects the resilience of an industry that supplies more than half of the world’s carpet and rugs.”
As Mohawk continues to align its state-of-the-art manufacturing to meet evolving consumer preferences, the Mohawk facilities will be converted from yarn spinning plants to bulk continuous filament (BCF) twisting and heat setting plants, enabling both facilities to keep up with growing demands, as well as create an additional 420 jobs at the Mohawk facility in Dalton and preserve 230 jobs at the Mohawk facility in Rome. Mohawk will administer Georgia Quick Start, the state’s top-ranked workforce training program, to train its current and new employees, and the hiring process is planned to begin mid-2014.
“As the U.S. economic recovery gains traction, Mohawk is increasing manufacturing capacity to meet rising demand for the company's premium soft carpets,” said Joe Yarbrough, Mohawk’s senior vice president of advanced manufacturing engineering. “These major investments in Dalton and Rome – in addition to the company’s previously announced Summerville project – will create or retain more than 1,000 excellent jobs across the region. We anticipate that these expansions will begin operation in 2014. We are grateful to our local, regional and state partners for their support of these expansions and for sharing our commitment to build a brighter future for northwest Georgia.”
Mohawk, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Calhoun, Ga., employs thousands of people in the state and across the nation. For decades, the company has been a leader in Georgia’s floor covering industry, which is an important 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, a process that ranks the company among the leading recyclers of plastic bottles in North America.
The Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce collectively assisted the company with the conversion projects.
“The technically skilled workforce found in Rome and Floyd County has proven to benefit the existing industries in our community and surrounding areas,” said Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce Chairman James N. “Doc” Kibler. “The business climate here is helpful to manufacturers and certainly helps our small business.”
"This latest expansion by Mohawk is strong evidence that the economy, especially the housing market, continues to improve,” said Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Brian Anderson. “It also illustrates the strong commitment of Mohawk Industries to Dalton and all of northwest Georgia. We are fortunate to have the floor covering industry and Mohawk Industries based in northwest Georgia."
Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) Project Manager Carl Campbell, who partnered with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, also assisted the company on behalf of the state.
“Mohawk Industries has a long standing history of investment in our state and has created numerous high-quality jobs for the community,” said Chris Carr, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “The Mohawk expansion shows not only Georgia’s ability to attract investment from Fortune 500 companies, but it also shows how our resources and skilled workforce help booming businesses keep up with changes in the industry.”
