Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

New Industry In Clark County

Hiring has been done, somewhat, at Clark County's newest industry, but more employees are needed.

B.F. Goodrich has done some hiring, but, according to State Rep. Percy Malone, is looking for more people to work there to meet its demands.

The company makes spare parts for airplanes no longer being manufactured. At this time, there are 7,000 such aircraft, but in the next few years, this number is expected to grow to more than 9,000.

Malone said federal law requires aircraft companies to furnish spare parts for planes no longer being produced, until the amount of the typ of plane dwindles to a set amount.

This means parts must be manufactured to keep the other such planes flying safely, and this is what Goodrich does in Clark County.

The company recently opened up in the Clark County Industrial Park. Originally, Rohr Industries was to be the company making airplane parts, but Rohr merged with Goodrich, and the parent company will do the work. Additionally, when Rohr first began looking at locating in Clark County, the aerospace company planned to make parts for new planes.

However, an economic slump in the aircraft industry resulted in fewer new planes being built, and forced Rohr to rethink its plans.

Before Rohr opened its plant in Clark County, the company merged with Goodrich. The merger occurred in 1997.

Malone said the jobs created at Goodrich should be secure, long-term positions. This, he said, is because when a model of aircraft is no longer built, parts must still be made for it. Goodrich has a contract to furnish spare parts for several different models of aircraft, primarily with Boeing.

"Goodrich could be hiring people every month for the next five or six years," Malone said. "The demand (for the parts) is consistent and growing.'

With the addition of Goodrich to the county, he said, the area has become the kind of place where young people can graduate high school, attend college and remain at home while raising a family and buying a home.

Those who have left the area and want to return can do so easily because of the availability of good jobs. This also goes for those who would simply like to move to the region, Malone said.

"People can come here with confidence," he said. This is because if something happened to cause the loss of a job, people know there are other industries in the region needing workers.

Some of these industries include Scroll Technologies, Petit Jean Poultry, Hot Metal Molding and Polycarbon, to name a few, though there are several others.

"The demand for workers isn't just for new industries," Malone said. "Existing industries are growing and need employees as well. These are good paying jobs with benefits."

Malone said anyone interested in applying for a job with Goodrich or the other industries in the area should go to the Employment Security Division office in Arkadelphia, or contact his office or the Clark County Industrial Council for information.

"There are a lot of good opportunities here now," he said.