By Cindy Coopwood

Increasing demands for their product and the desire for a higher quality workforce caused the Greenville Manufacturing Co. to go on a hiring spree last month. Better known as Fruit of the Loom, the company, which began April with a work force of 725, planned to increase their work force to about 875 by the end of the month, according to Alton Zenon, plant manager. At that time, he said, they will evaluate their workforce and possibly increase to about 900 over the next few months.

Besides adding to their workforce, the company is increasing their starting pay, as well as offering monthly pay increases to be based on employee evaluations. "We want to remain competitive with other local industries and make sure that we have the same caliber workforce as other local companies. So by increasing our starting pay from $6.21 to $7.50 per hour, hopefully we will attract a better pool of people and retain them longer."

Employees will have the opportunity to increase their pay by .25 each month to be given on a quarterly basis. "Every three months we look at increasing their pay by .25 per month depending on the quality and amount of their work. And they are on production, so they could possibly make more, but it is set up so they can’t make less than that," said Zenon. The average Fruit of the Loom employee makes $9.50 to $10.00 per hour.

The company provides workforce training through Mississippi Delta Community College’s Skill Tech Center as well as in-house. According to Zenon, Fruit of the Loom is willing to help their employees be the best they can be, and is willing to train them and to pay them for their effort. In return, they expect three things from their employees; first, to work safely; second, to strive for the highest possible quality in their work; and third, to show up regularly for work. Zenon said, "We are looking for motivated people."

At the Greenville plant, which opened in 1992, they knit, bleach, dye and cut the fabric to be sent to other Fruit of the Loom plants all over the world. Zenon, who has been with the company for 11 years, said the company has been very pleased with their success in Greenville and looks forward to continuing its commitment to the local economy in the future.