Non-Slip Flooring Firm Opens South Carolina Plant

Jonesville, SC, Jan. 13, 2009--Allied Companies LLC has opened a new plant in Jonesville to get its non-slip flooring business off the ground.

Joel Martin, the company's president and CEO, said he has invested $750,000 to turn the 160,000-square-foot former Spartan Mills Rosemont textile plant into the base of operations for his new manufacturing company, Allied Industries International.

He said he plans to invest about $8 million over the next five years.

Martin founded Allied Companies in 1996 in Charlotte, N.C. The company makes Eco-Grip, which is designed not to shrink or separate when exposed to heat, animal fats, petroleum products or harsh chemicals.

The patented flooring is made from recycled flexible Polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

"The great thing is that everything we do is focused on green processes," Martin said. "Most landfills won't take PVC, so there's a fair amount of material out there for us."

Martin said he is selling his flooring to a number of national restaurant chains, including Ruby Tuesday, Applebee's and Bojangles', which is owned by Wofford graduate and fellow Charlottean Jerry Richardson.

He said the biggest competitor to his product is quarry tile, which is widely used in restaurants.

"The problem with quarry tile is that you have to grout it or its still slippery, and it also soaks up bacteria," Martin said. "We can install our product for the same price, and all you have to do is wash it."

Allied's flooring can also be tailored to meet applications for a wide range of industries, such as health care, hotel, automotive, sports or outdoors uses, he said.