Wellco Enterprises, Inc., which has been making military boots since 1941, will close the doors at its Waynesville plant in September. Wellco employs about 75 people, according to the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce. “Unfortunately, it is no longer economically feasible for Wellco to continue its Waynesville operations,” Lee Ferguson, chief executive officer of Tactical [...]
July 20, 2009
Handyman franchise opens
Tom DeCarlo has opened a local franchise of the Andy OnCall handyman business. A Clemson University graduate and local resident since 2000, DeCarlo has 28 years of experience in packaging manufacturing, most recently with Shorewoood Packaging. Based in Chattanooga, Tenn., Andy OnCall was founded 15 years ago and now has 56 franchises in 21 states. [...]
July 20, 2009
Solar energy company moves to Asheville
FLS Energy and its residential division, First Light Solar, is moving to Asheville from Black Mountain. The company, which specializes in solar hot water and photovoltaic systems, had outgrown its facility in Black Mountain. Monday will be its first day of business in the new location at 239 Amboy Road, near Carrier Park. For more [...]
July 20, 2009
Fletcher plant to add 338 jobs
A maker of brake systems and components will add 338 jobs in Henderson County over the next five years, Gov. Bev Perdue announced here this morning. Continental Teves, a wholly owned subsidiary the German auto parts conglomerate Continental AG, will invest $30 million to expand its plant here. “Established companies continue to grow here because [...]
July 20, 2009
Chamber sees Charlotte economy improving
Expanding and new businesses announced the creation of 7,316 jobs in Mecklenburg County in the first half of the year, a 15 percent increase from the corresponding period last year, the Charlotte Chamber says. Business investment among the 446 new and expanding firms fell sharply to $564 million from $1.53 billion. The aggregate space requirements [...]
July 20, 2009
Yale Industrial to add 65 jobs
Yale Industrial Products Inc., a designer and manufacturer of material-handling products, will expand its operations in Wadesboro. The company plans to invest $3 million and add 65 jobs over the next three years. The Wadesboro plant has 136 workers. The new jobs will pay an average $37,031 per year, excluding benefits. That exceeds the Anson [...]
July 20, 2009
N.C. workers see more from stimulus
The flow of stimulus money to N.C. construction workers is increasing, according to data compiled by the N.C. Department of Transportation. A total of 1,087 transportation construction workers received $846,018 in payroll from stimulus projects in June. Those employees worked a total of 46,357 hours. Recently revised N.C. DOT statistics say 625 employees worked 19,355 [...]
July 20, 2009
Mastercraft re-hiring 175 workers, resumes production
Mastercraft in Vonore has resumed production and began re-hiring 175 workers this week. President and CEO John Dorton says some workers reported Monday, some Tuesday and more will come in on Wednesday. Dorton says Mastercraft is building 2010 models. The plant has had sporadic production since February and no production in June. However, it’s now [...]
July 20, 2009
German manufacturer eyeing Alcoa for headquarters
Alcoa could be the site of a German manufacturer’s North American headquarters. This comes after an announcement Friday about a plan to build Alcoa a city center on 350 acres of land near the Alcoa factory. Economic Development officials in Blount County say it’s too soon to release the details or the name of the [...]
