Wednesday, July 12, 2023–11:30 a.m.

-David Crowder, WRGA News-

A new industry is coming to the Northwest Georgia Regional Industrial Park in Shannon.

On Wednesday, the Gordon County/Floyd County Joint Development Authority approved the sale of 10.4 acres in the park to Tuscaloosa, Alabama-based Power and Rubber Supply for $35,000 an acre.

According to the manufacturer’s website, Power Rubber and Supply is a leader and distributor of industrial hoses, bearings, power transmission, and rubber products.

According to Chris Jacobs, executive vice-president, they hope to service the Northwest Georgia territory in the underserved conveyer belt industry. The company plans to invest $4.2 million in the new facility.

“As soon as we finish the land purchase, we hope to break ground for construction of the building in the next 6 to 12 months,” he said.

Jacobs said they hope to hire 16 to 20 employees and explained why the company chose this particular site.

 “The industrial development board really helped us locate a good piece of property and really helped us out find what we needed,” he said. “Being out on the New Calhoun Highway is geographically where we need to be as far as getting the customer base that we are looking for.”

In addition to its headquarters and conveyer belt division in Tuscaloosa, Power Rubber and Supply also has operations in Alabaster and Mobile, Alabama.

The Northwest Regional Industrial Park is jointly owned by Gordon County and Floyd County and is bordered by West Hermitage Road and Calhoun Highway near the Ball Container facilities.

“We’re excited for this project coming to Floyd County and being a part of our development authority park,” said Jesse Vaughn, chair of the Gordon County/Floyd County Joint Development Authority. “Along with the Synthica project that’s in the hopper right now, I think it’s another industry that will come here and support our existing industries. I think it allows us to attract more industry and good projects like this to this community in Northwest Georgia.”

It was announced in November that Synthica Energy, an Ohio-based company that converts organic industrial byproducts into natural gas, would be opening a new facility in the park, investing $38,250,000 and creating 15 jobs with an average wage of $43 an hour.