Textron’s Greenville Plant celebrates grand opening
Governor Barbour, Senators Cochran and Lott attend ceremony

by ALAN TAYLOR
DBJ Contributing Writer

With numerous government officials, business leaders, and company executives in attendance, Textron Fastening Systems celebrated the grand opening of its Greenville manufacturing facility on October 25. Among those present were Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, Senators Thad Cochran and Trent Lott, Representative Bennie Thompson, and Textron president Rick Clayton.

Calling the event a “true day of celebration,” Barbour spoke of the spirit of teamwork that helped bring the plant to Mississippi, and to the Delta. “My hat is off to the community leaders who helped make this happen,” he commented. “Mississippi has once again demonstrated its ability to compete for quality jobs. We can have very high-quality manufacturing in Mississippi.

“It’s been a great pleasure to work with the people of Textron, and I’m pleased to come back to see what you have done.”

In their comments, Cochran and Lott reinforced the importance of teamwork in bringing the plant to Mississippi. “Textron is an example of what civic, local, state, and federal people can do to make things happen,” Lott observed. “Mississippi is open for business—this is what you get when you work together.”

Said Cochran, “Textron is a very impressive company, and Greenville is going to gain a reputation with a company like this located here.”

Textron Fastening Systems, a $1.65 billion business unit of Michigan-based Textron, Inc., is a leading provider of engineered fastening systems, state-of-the-art assembly technology, and inventory management and application engineering services. Automobile industry customers account for two-thirds of the firm’s worldwide business.

Textron announced in January that it would locate a new plant in Greenville, in a 308,000 square foot building that formerly housed the operations of Nicholson Saw. The firm is consolidating much of its U.S. fastening production at the Greenville facility, which will ultimately employ approximately 500 people.

The project required a capital investment of $35 million by Textron, and was augmented by $2.5 million provided by federal, state, and local sources, including the Mississippi Development Agency, Entergy, and others.

Company president Rick Clayton, who generated strong applause at the ceremony by holding up an “I Believe in Greenville” poster, told the audience, “We’re here to celebrate our shared accomplishments. Since we announced our plans in January, we’ve been impressed by Mississippians’ eagerness to do whatever was needed to ensure our success. Nine months ago, this was an empty building—now it’s a full production facility. You’ve made us feel welcome in the community. You’ve gone above and beyond for our benefit. You feel strongly about helping the company and the community.

“From the trainees who became our employees, to the many government agencies statewide who helped us, we have received completely dedicated support. This enthusiastic welcome enabled us to make outstanding progress establishing a world-class fastening facility here.”

On the subject of the area’s labor pool, Clayton added, “We have found talent right here in Greenville, and we have nothing but accolades for the people.” Representative Thompson echoed this, praising the Charles W. Capps, Jr. Technology Center in Indianola as a valuable resource for training prospective Textron employees.

As Perry Jenkins, Dean of Career and Workforce Education at the Center, points out, “Textron officials have stated that a part of their decision to relocate in the Delta was the city’s commitment to offering an aggressive training program that could provide employees with just the right skills. Our series of classes for prospective employees in ongoing, and have been met with much enthusiasm and success.”

Comments Frank Howell with the Delta Council, “The coming of Textron is a testament to our work force and our work force training efforts. We were able to fully staff the facility in just a few months’ time—it’s a good example of why work force training is so critical for the future of the Delta.”

Governor Barbour summarized the theme that was reflected in many of the comments made at the ceremony: “Working together, there’s no limit to what we can do for Mississippi.” DBJ