Oregon-based ISA Corp., a manufacturer of nitrile and latex gloves, announced plans today to open a production facility in Geneva County, creating 80 jobs over two years at the location in rural Alabama.
ISA Alabama Corp., as the new venture is called, will be located in a 45,000-square-foot speculative building in the Geneva County Industrial Park off Alabama Highway 167 in Hartford. The project involves a multimillion-dollar investment.
“We are pleased to welcome ISA Alabama Corp. to Geneva County, the Wiregrass region and the state of Alabama. This project is further proof of the tremendous collaboration of regional teamwork working with ISA Alabama at the state, regional and local levels,” said Greg Canfield, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce.
“ISA Alabama represents the best in latex product manufacturing and will be a great addition to Alabama’s diverse manufacturing base and will be a premiere employer in Southeast Alabama,” he added.
ISA Corp. is a multi-national company that is involved in the manufacturing, engineering, design, research and development that produces over 100 million dipped nitrile latex parts annually.
ISA Alabama Corp.’s product profile involves nitrile gloves, latex gloves and boot coverings that supply an array of industry sectors.
ISA Alabama Corp. President John Feusner said the growth project was made possible through the support of many organizations at the state and regional levels, as well as assistance from utilities.
“These organizations worked hard as a team, and we are very pleased to be growing our business in ‘Sweet Home Alabama,’” Feusner said.
RURAL IMPACT
With project agreements finalized, the project will take the next steps with finishing out the spec building, building industrial access road extension and phasing in a hiring plan.
The company is planning to be in operation in the third quarter of 2023.
Geneva County Commission Chairman Toby Seay said he is excited to have ISA Alabama Corp. join the Wiregrass region’s industrial ranks.
“The Geneva County Commission has worked very hard to put the economic pieces together by establishing the Geneva County Industrial Park and then adding the new 45,000-square-foot speculative building so that we could position our area for opportunities,” he said.
Seay noted that the spec building resulted from a partnership with PowerSouth and the Wiregrass Electric Cooperative.
Besides those utilities, other organizations involved the recruitment of ISA Alabama Corp. include Commerce, AIDT, the Alabama Department of Transportation, the Wiregrass Economic Development Corp. and the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce/Grow Dothan. Local government entities, including the cities of Hartford, Dothan and Enterprise, were also involved.
Brenda Tuck, Rural Development Manager for the Alabama Department of Commerce, said the ISA Alabama Corp. manufacturing operation will have a significant financial impact on Hartford, a community with a little over 2,600 residents.
“Alabama’s rural communities have shown time and time again that they can support sophisticated manufacturing operations thanks to the skills and dedication of the local workforces,” Tuck said.
“This is another illustration that rural Alabama has a lot of advantages to offer companies from all over the world.”
(Courtesy of Made in Alabama)
