A Columbus company is in the final stages of preparing for at least a partial move to Clay County.
Jim Wamble, president of Plum Creek Environmental Technologies, said the company will move part of its operation to West Point. Plum Creek Environmental Technologies recently received approval for a 10-year ad valorem tax exemption from the Clay County Board of Supervisors. The company is moving to a new location on East Industrial Access Road.
Wamble founded Plum Creek Environmental Technologies in 2009 with his sons, James and Andrew. The company manufactures balers, compactors, conveyors, dumpsters, shredders and other waste and recycling products.
Its current location at 123 Hemlock Street, near Cash and Carry Building Supply, employs more than 50 people, and Wamble said more than 40 associates work in the shop.
The move, Wamble said, is primarily about finding more space for the company to grow.
“We’re just out of space here,” he said of the Columbus location. “We’re looking to have a bigger facility. We expanded this thing a year ago and we have already grown from what we did.
“This is nothing against Columbus,” Wamble added. “It’s just that a good building is available over there that we can get into quickly and efficiently.”
About 50 jobs will go to West Point when the company moves, Wamble said, to support its manufacturing operations and corporate office. However, at least for the short term, he said part of Plum Creek Environmental Technologies’ service operation will remain in Columbus.
“We do some installation and refurbishment of compaction equipment,” he said. “A customer may ask us to pick (old equipment) up and refurbish them. We’re set up to do that here.”
Wamble said he hopes to begin relocation in the next 90 days. He added he’s not certain if the service operation will remain permanently in Columbus or if it will move at a later date.
Golden Triangle Development LINK has assisted Plum Creek Environmental Technologies in finding a new location. LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins, in an issued statement, said the development will be a positive step for Clay County. The LINK will hold an event to officially announce the move at the end of the month.
“This project comes at a perfect time and will further improve the economy for West Point and Clay County,” Higgins said.
Plum Creek Environmental Technologies has received accolades for its swift growth since its founding in 2009, Wamble said. The company was named to Inc. Magazine’s 2013 list of 5,000 fastest growing businesses, and has been recognized as Mississippi’s third fastest-growing business.
“We’re excited because it allows us to be more efficient in producing our container line,” he said. “The company is growing exponentially. Right now we’re just limited, working two shifts overtime, and it’s been busy.”
West Point Mayor Robbie Robinson said he’s excited to see Plum Creek Environmental Technologies moving to West Point. He said the move is especially fortuitous in the wake of Babcock and Wilcox, an industrial manufacturing company that made boilers, closing its West Point operation in March.
“The timing is great,” Robinson said. “We just want to help Plum Creek in anyway we can to facilitate the move as quickly as possible.”
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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