Huali Floors to Create 315 Jobs, Invest More than $27 Million in Murray County
Business, Community May 27, 2020
Atlanta, GA – Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced that Huali Floors, a leading manufacturer of resilient flooring, will establish its first U.S. headquarters and manufacturing facility in Murray County. Huali Floors will create at least 315 new jobs and invest more than $27 million in an existing facility.
“We are excited to welcome Huali Floors to Murray County,” said Governor Kemp. “It’s a testament to Georgia’s logistics network and readily available workforce when an innovative company like Huali Floors chooses Georgia to establish their first U.S. manufacturing operation. I congratulate the hardworking Georgians in Murray County on this exciting news, and I am confident Huali will find success in the Peach State.”
Established in Taizhou, Jiangsu Province in 2002, Huali Floors is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of resilient flooring. Huali manufactures a variety of high-quality floor covering products, including luxury vinyl tiles, stone plastic composite, and wood plastic composite flooring.
“Our USA headquarters and manufacturing facility will further support our commitment in bringing world-class service and quality to our customers,” said Philip Yuan, president of Huali Group. “The strong flooring community that the Northwest Georgia area embodies was a determining factor in our commitment, and we want to be part of that spirit. We, Huali Floors, are very excited and proud to be able to call Murray County our USA home and become an active member, as we saw and felt the strength of the community through the project process. We look forward to growing here in Northwest Georgia and are committed to investing and supporting our new community.”
Huali Floors employs more than 2,000 full-time associates with revenues in excess of $360 million. Huali currently utilizes the Port of Savannah and plans to use the Appalachian Regional Port in Murray County. Jobs at the new facility will include administration, manufacturing, and research and development positions. Individuals interested in learning more about the project or employment opportunities can do so by visiting https://murraycountychamber.org/hfusa/.
“The experience of this project from day one has been exactly what a community wants,” said Steve Smith, chairman of the Murray County Industrial Development Authority. “The partnership between the state and our Industrial Development Authority Director, Illya Copeland, has been great. The people from Huali have the best people on the job to make this project a success. We are excited that they chose Murray County as their home in the United States.”
“The reason this project is successful is due to the partnership between our Industrial Development Authority and the Georgia Department of Economic Development,” said Greg Hogan, sole commissioner of Murray County. “From the first visit with Huali, there was a natural feel in the air that told me we would become home to their first U.S. facility. We welcome these wonderful people to our community and couldn’t be more proud of the work put in by the state and our local industrial development authority.”
Georgia was the No. 1 exporter among U.S. states for floor covering products in 2019, with a total export value of $485.4 million, and Northwest Georgia is home to a majority of the state’s floor covering industries. The new inland Appalachian Regional Port plays a key role in Georgia’s supply chain network.
“It speaks volumes that Huali Floors sees the benefit in the Port of Savannah and the connection to the Appalachian Regional Port, and plans to locate their very first U.S-based manufacturing facility 9.5 miles away from the terminal,” said Wesley Barrell, Georgia Ports Authority regional manager of strategic operations. “Huali’s projected volume will be handled with efficiency and precision, we look forward to a long-standing relationship both at the Appalachian Regional Port and the Port of Savannah.
Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) Regional Project Manager Taylor Kielty and Project Manager Sandra Yang represented the Global Commerce division in partnership with Georgia Quick Start, the Murray County Industrial Development Authority, Georgia EMC, Georgia Ports Authority, and Georgia Power.
“We are thrilled to hear that Huali Floors will be calling Georgia its U.S. home. By locating here, the company will not only benefit from our logistics infrastructure, including the Appalachian Regional Port, but also from becoming a part of our business community,” said GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson. “Winning this competitive project will have a big impact in Murray County and the state as Huali will continue to do business with industry leaders and attract new suppliers to the region. We want to thank all of our business development partners for bringing this investment to Northwest Georgia.”
About Huali Floors
Taizhou Huali New Materials Co. Ltd. was established on April 15, 2002. As of 2019, the company owns two production bases that cover an area of 4.6 million square feet, including 4.3 million square feet in building area. The total investment reaches $130 million. The current monthly production capacity is approximately 1,800 containers, and 2018 sales figures reached $360 million. There are more than 2,000 employees in the company, including 20 engineers. For additional information, visit: www.hualifloors.com/about.html.
Georgia hits 4.5 million job mark in October
State & National November 16, 2017
Georgia hits 4.5 million job mark in October
ATLANTA – State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said today that Georgia broke the 4.5- million jobs barrier in October, bouncing back from a job loss due to Hurricane Irma in September.
The state posted 4,510,100 jobs for the month. That preliminary number is higher than Georgia’s previous revised record of 4,497,700 set in August. In September, Georgia had a temporary setback with a job loss of 3,400.
Georgia also set records in October for labor force and the number of employed residents.
“After the effects of the storm, this month’s numbers are much closer to what we are used to seeing,” Butler said. “All the indicators – job growth, unemployment claims, labor force and employed residents – are trending in the right direction. October was a great month for a dynamic, growing state like Georgia.”
Monthly numbers can fluctuate due to short-term impacts like Irma and are subject to revisions. The story built over the year, Butler said, gives a clearer picture of the state’s economy and jobs picture because it smooths out short-term shifts seen in monthly reports.
Over the past 12 months, Georgia has added 87,800 jobs, a 2 percent growth rate. The state is outpacing the national job growth rate of 1.4 percent.
In October Georgia posted 15,800 new jobs. Growth came mostly in the private sector including, construction, 5,500 and professional and business services, 5,200. Georgia’s over-the-year job growth came mostly in the private sector. Jobs were added in professional and business services, 24,900; education and health services, 15,300; leisure and hospitality, 14,500; and trade, transportation and warehousing, 11,700.
“It’s important that Georgia is adding jobs,” Butler noted, “but it’s more important that people continue to get them. And, we continue to see both happening.”
In October, the total number of employed residents rose by 20,634 to 4,865,859. There are 173,402 more Georgians employed now than in October 2016.
At the same time, the state’s labor force, which includes the total number of Georgians with jobs and those unemployed but looking for work, rose to 5,085,519, up by 15,123 in October. The labor force is up by 123,441 since October 2016.
Butler added that the unemployment rate also continues to fall.
The unemployment rate in October was 4.3 percent, down from September’s revised number of 4.4 percent. That compares favorably to last October when the rate was 5.4 percent. The lowest jobless rate ever recorded for the state was 3.4 percent in November 2000.
Monthly unemployment claims were up by 9.6 percent to 27,040. Most of the increase came due to temporary claims filed in manufacturing. However, from October a year ago, unemployment claims were down by 7.9 percent from 29,355.
Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com, showed 59,231 new job postings statewide for October.
Visit dol.georgia.gov to learn more about career opportunities, Employ Georgia and other GDOL services for job seekers and employers and to connect with us on social media.
DATA FOR THE METRO AREAS ARE ATTACHED, TABLES AND GRAPHS REFLECTING LABOR MARKET DATA ARE AVAILABLE AT http://dol.georgia.gov/current
NEWS MEDIA NEEDING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION MAY CALL (404) 232-3685
Collins Welcomes Neighbors to Town Hall
Politics August 7, 2017
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Washington, D.C. Office: |
District Office: 210 Washington St. NW, Suite 202 Gainesville, GA 30501 Phone: (770) 297-3388 |
State Senator Steve Gooch Talks About Economic Development in Rural Georgia
Politics April 24, 2017
This past Friday we continued our discussion about rural Georgia with 51st district (R) State Senator and Lumpkin County’s economic development director, Steve Gooch. Our three areas of focus: rural Georgia economy, broadband access, and health care. Although the district doesn’t want to see something in the line of the KIA plant they most certainly would be open to small companies offering high paying, high tech jobs. In order to attract these types of companies; the area must provide good schools, fast internet, and quality health care. We discussed Piedmont Mountainside new stand alone emergency health care center in Gilmer County; a model for quality health care in rural areas. When our discussion turned to high speed internet for the area, Gooch was unable to say they “moved the ball” concerning Senate Bill 232, Facilitating Internet Broadband Rural Expansion (FIBRE) Act.
BKP Interviews Two of Our Very Own Interns and Hear How You Can Join Our Intern Program
Business May 26, 2017
John and Hunter are currently in our intern program here at FetchYourNews and FYNTV. John is an Associate Producer for FYNTV and Hunter is an Associate Reporter. They both have great video skills and are great assets to our team! Today Brian introduces them to our viewers, asks them a few questions about themselves, and also tells you about our intern program. If you are interested in getting involved or being an intern here at FYN or FYNTV please contact us at [email protected] or 706-889-9700! We are always growing and would love to have you become part of our team.
Jump Start Your Career ~ Advanced Disposal Job Fair Dawsonville GA March 29th
Announcements, Featured March 22, 2018
