Calhoun, GA, June 21--The Florida Tile Industries plant in Shannon, Georgia is expanding its operations and adding 75 jobs, according to the Calhoun, Georgia Times.
The plant is adding trim and decorative tile to its product line. It previously made floor tile only.
“Seventy-five jobs is pretty significant for us. It’s about a 50 percent increase over where we were,” said Jeff Pogue, corporate director of human resources at the plant.
Georgia’s Quick Start worker training program and Coosa Valley Technical College are helping the plant prepare its new workers.
The new jobs will bring the facility’s total employment to 226, he said.
The expansion news comes shortly after nearby Galey & Lord Brighton mill announced it will shut down and lay off its 450 workers by early August. Florida Tile was started in 1954, and the Shannon plant has been in operation since 1981.
The company is the second-largest manufacturer of wall and floor tile in the United States. Milestone Merchant Partners, based in Washington, D.C., acquired Florida Tile last October.
