Company Opens Factory

PLANT CITY - A Mississippi-based company opened a 70,000-square-foot factory in a local industrial park on Thursday, creating 35 new jobs in the city.

Outdoor Technologies is a major producer of vinyl fence, deck and rail products for the home building and remodeling industry. The facility, at 3007 Central Drive, just off Sydney Road, will have nearly a $1 million annual payroll.

With the slumping housing market affecting the local economy, city officials welcomed the plant's opening.

Outdoor Technologies' arrival will not only "create new jobs" but will also "generate additional revenues for the city," Mayor Rick Lott said in a statement issued by the company.

"The economic impact of Outdoor Technologies' decision to locate in Plant City ... will be felt mainly throughout the Tampa Bay area," Lott said. "The benefit of its made-in-Plant City products will be enjoyed ... far beyond the Tampa Bay area."

Company executives said Plant City is an ideal location because of its proximity to Interstate 75 and Tampa's port.

"We plan to utilize the Tampa Port Authority in the near future to more easily reach our customers around the world," Brain Hammerbacher, Outdoor Technologies president, said in the company statement.

Plant manager Jerry Hemphill, who relocated from Mississippi, said he was impressed with Plant City.

"The community and schools have made my family's transition from Mississippi to the area very smooth," Hemphill said. "We're all very happy to be here and we're looking forward to many successful years here in Plant City."

Outdoor Technologies is based in Macon, Miss., and the local plant will produce fencing, decking and railing products for the Southeastern United States.

The company moved into a plant that formerly produced rubber products and spent $3 million on remodeling.

Bea Bare of the Committee of 100 and Marion Smith of the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce worked with the company in opening its local location. Bare expects the company will ship many of its products by rail and eventually by cargo ship.

SEEKING A JOB?

For information on job openings with Outdoor Technologies, call the company at (662) 726-6634 or visit www.otivinyl .com.