A brand-new polyester fiber manufacturing company is coming to Murray County, Ga., just outside Chatsworth.
PolyTech Fibers is moving into an 80,000-square-foot empty building that, before being vacated, housed manufacturing. The building is at 2017 Highway 411 North.
PolyTech will hire 114 employees and invest over $12 million into its facility over the next three years, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development. The company makes recycled and regenerated polyester staple fibers for use in manufacturing, including the automotive and furnishing industries.
The greater-Chatsworth area has traditionally leaned on manufacturing to fuel its economy, living and dying on the flooring industry like many other small towns in the orbit of Dalton, Ga., the self-proclaimed Carpet Capital of the World.
When the housing industry crashed at the onset of the recession, "we were hit tremendously hard," said Murray County Sole Commissioner Brittany Pittman.
In August, unemployment in Murray County rose to 11.7 percent, nearly double the U.S. rate of 6.1 percent for that month and well above Georgia's overall 8.1 percent jobless rate. Despite national and statewide job gains in the past year, Murray County had 261 fewer workers on the job in August than a year ago.
It's not that the workers aren't there, said Pittman.
"We have a trained and ready workforce," she said.
And in talks with PolyTech officials, Pittman says the city's ready and willing workforce weighed in Murray County's favor when it came time for PolyTech to choose a home city.
PolyTech is the third manufacturer to build or expand into the greater-Chatsworth area in the last calendar year.
PolyTech Fibers President J.Y. Choi said in a news release that PolyTech will produce 80 million pounds of polyester fibers within three years.
"We are excited to launch our first plant in Murray County," he said.
PolyTech is an employee-owned company and was founded in January.
Contact staff writer Alex Green at agreen@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6480.