Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Goodrich to close Gum Springs plant

Christmas won't be as merry for the 181 employees of Goodrich, as the plant has announced its intention to close its Gum Springs facility.

The decision came from the parent company in California Tuesday, Dec. 4.

However, within two minutes of learning of the closing, State Sen. Percy Malone was on the phone with Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

According to Brown Hardman, president of the Clark County Industrial Council, Clark County is in a remarkable position for attracting industry.

He said not only is there a state of the art facility for the CCIC to market, but a trained workforce of skilled people available to start work immediately.

Plans have already been made to market the Goodrich site in Clark County to site consultants and industry, along with state level economic development groups, he said.

The CCIC board of directors met Thursday morning, Dec. 6, to discuss the issue.

Hardman said Goodrich was in the process of consolidating at the time, but after the Sept. 11 attacks, many airlines quit flying the older aircraft. Goodrich manufactured parts for airplanes no longer being built.

In November, Goodrich officials at the Gum Springs site had said the company made $48 million last year and was poised to make the same amount this year.

In fact, the plant had reorganized its floor plan in expectation of growth.

"I'm convinced," Hardman said, "no one knew about this plant closing until last week. I got a call Monday morning (Dec. 3), telling me Percy and I needed to meet with Goodrich at 2 p.m. Tuesday (Dec. 4).

"I thought they would announce a layoff," he continued.

At the time of the meeting, some plant officials were talking with the employees, letting them know the company was being phased out. Boeing, Goodrich's largest customer, was also contacted about the closing.

"I think the closing will be permanent," Hardman said. "I don't think they'll open again, but we'll continue working with Goodrich."

The CCIC began recruiting Goodrich, then Rohr Industries, in 1990, but continually hit snags and had to literally start from scratch. The plant officially opened three years ago in the Clark County Industrial Park.

Instead of looking at the closing as a negative event, Hardman said the CCIC needs to realize there is now a 300,000 square foot building available for a new industry, and a trained workforce ready to go to work immediately.

The building, he said, is valued at $55 million.

In June, the CCIC was contacted by industries seeking facilities of this size, but had nothing available. Now, Kevin Copeland, executive director of the CCIC, can contact these companies and see if they're interested in looking at the Goodrich site.

While Malone was on the phone with the governor, Hardman began talking to county and city officials in Clark County, letting them know what was happening.

At this time, he said, it is not known how or when the plant will be fully closed. There have been rumors about the plant being shut down by the end of March, and still others about it closing in phases, with the final phase to be completed by November 2002. Both, though, are nothing more than speculation at this time.

It isn't known how many of the 181 Goodrich employees actually live in Clark County. Some were driving from Hope and Prescott each day.

Regardless, those who are left unemployed because of the closing will be eligible for displaced workers programs.

Hardman discussed other companies in the industrial park. Petit Jean Poultry, he said, recently signed a long-term contract with Tyson Poultry, and Hot Metal Molding has been working to find capital and ordered more equipment. HMM is on the edge of being a "major player", Hardman continued.

Polycarbon is doing research and development along with marketing projects for products of the future.

If Goodrich sells the building, Copeland said, the CCIC will assume the position of marketing the structure. At this time work is underway to get the marketing materials together to show future prospects.

Additionally, the Arkansas Department of Economic Development (ADED) has been contacted, as has Teamwork Arkansas, through Entergy.

The ADED, Copeland said, is looking in its files over the last 12 months for potential prospects, and since June, six companies have contacted the CCIC looking for buildings 200,000 square feet or larger. Teamwork Arkansas is also involved in the search process to find a new tenant for the facility.

Wilma Gill, with the Arkansas Employment Security Division in Arkadelphia, said the ESD was notified of the plant's plans Monday.

Locally, she said, the ESD sought permission to implement the displaced workers program, but because of the size of the company, there's more red tape involved.

Connie Nelson, with the 2025 Commission, recently got a grant for $5,000 for the Southwest Arkansas Learning Center to help the employees at Aalfs, a clothing manufacturing plant that recently closed in the county. Plans are being made on how best to use the grant funds.

Hardman said the CCIC helped the owner of Aalfs located to Clark County, and should be willing to help get the empty building filled. However, the CCIC is not looking for another clothing manufacturing plant to take Aalf's place.

Getting back to the employees, Hardman asked the board how the CCIC could help them with financial planning

Al Lynch suggested having the financial planners in the county send information on their services to the CCIC, where the displaced workers could come and get them, then make their own decisions. No action, though, was taken on the matter.

To get a complete list, Hardman said, will require working through CCIC committees. The CCIC helped create the Clark County Resource Council, which has such a list, at the request of existing industries.

He said Clark County is competing with other economic development organizations having budgets between $200,000 and $300,000, while the CCIC is operating on about $65,000 annually.

A permanent source of funding is required, he said.

"This is why we're here," Hardman continued. "We need out jets going full speed ahead, and not let things get like they were in 1985-1987." During these years, the unemployment rate in the county was 16 percent and higher because industries had closed.

To keep this from occurring, he said, the CCIC will be producing brochures and a video showing what Clark County offers, and how the problems of the mid-80s were overcome.

However, he added, volunteers will be needed on these projects, which will be operating through the new industries committee.

Hardman said industries send representatives to communities to eliminate them from consideration, instead of looking for reasons to locate in a particular area. Because of this "backward thinking" the CCIC works to keep from being eliminated when a prospect visits.