New Flooring Plant in South Carolina Uses Recycled Vinyl
JONESVILLE, S.C., March 13, 2009 – Allied Companies LLC has renovated a textile plant for its new manufacturing company, Allied Industries International, to make non-slip vinyl flooring.
Company president and CEO Joel Martin has invested $750,000 in the plant so far, and plans to spend about $8 million over the next five years to outfit the plant with production machinery and create up to 125 jobs.
A 1982 graduate of Spartanburg's Wofford College, Martin said, "I'm so glad to be back in South Carolina."
Martin founded Allied Companies in 1996 in Charlotte, N.C., selling a type of monomeric slip-resistant flooring he purchased from another company.
In 2005, he partnered with Richard Neale and a team of chemists to design and create a stronger polymeric flooring product that was also easy to manufacture. They developed Eco-Grip™, made of recycled flexible PVC. Eco-Grip™ is designed not to shrink or separate when exposed to heat, animal fats, petroleum products, or harsh chemicals.
The flooring is designed for the high abuse environment found in commercial kitchen applications, is impact and puncture resistant, provides a cushioned, anti-fatigue quality for employees, and retains its slip resistant properties even in the presence of animal fats and cooking oils. And it's easy to clean and maintain.
Martin is selling his flooring to national restaurant chains, including Ruby Tuesday, Applebee's, Gordon Biersch, and Bojangles which is owned by Jerry Richardson, a fellow Wofford College alumni.
He said the biggest competitor to his product in restaurants is quarry tile, but quarry tile needs to be grouted or it's still slippery, and it also soaks up bacteria.
Allied's flooring also meets the needs of other industries including health care, hotel, automotive, sports, and outdoor uses. It also meets or exceeds both ADA and OSHA requirements for safety floors and ramps.
"The sky is the limit, and we're in a very good position despite headwinds in the economy," Martin said.
He has received international patents for his flooring and plans to open another plant in Phoenix in the near future.
Stanley Vanderford, executive director of Union County's Economic Development Board, welcomes Allied's new plant to the area. "They've got a good green product, and we're very happy that they are adding jobs and investment in the county."
You can read more about this story on goupstate.com and on www.alliedfloor.com.
The Vinyl Institute represents the leading manufacturers involved in the production of PVC vinyl in the United States, and promotes the value of PVC and vinyl products to society.
For more information, contact:
Jeffrey B. Palmer
Director of Marketing & Communications
The Vinyl Institute
(703) 741-5669
jeff_palmer@plastics.org
Also go to: www.vinylindesign.com and www.vinylinfo.org.