This article was published today in the Daily Southener newspaper out of Tarboro, NC.....
ECMC buys bulk barn operation
W. TERRY SMITH
EDITOR
Mon, Jun 09 2008
Two Edgecombe County farmers have purchased the bulk barn manufacturing operations of Farmtrac.
The new company is known as Eastern Carolina Manufacturing Co. (ECMC) and will create at least 50 new jobs and make at least a $2 million investment over the next two to four years, said Chief Executive Officer Robert H. Bob Pope Sr.
Pope, 56, of Rocky Mount and Richard C. Anderson, 47, of Leggett are ECMC owners.
In February, Farmtrac was forced into court-ordered receivership that included authorization to liquidate its assets.
Terms of the sale of the 121,740 square foot manufacturing facility on a 10.5-acre site on Hope Lodge Street were not disclosed. The building had been vacant for years.
ECMC´ purchase included the property and all the equipment, fixtures, priority tools, specifications, plans, engineering drawings and trademark used by Farmtrac to make and sell tobacco barns.
Farmtrac was successor to Long Manufacturing Co., which was the original manufacturer of Long bulk tobacco curing barns.
ECMC has two subsidiaries: Long Tobacco Barn Co. and Pope Manufacturing Co., which plans to develop barns that utilize solar energy.
The company has started production of bulk barns for the upcoming tobacco-harvesting season and is presently employing 28 people, Pope said. Some of these workers are former Farmtrac employees.
Carolinas Gateway Partnership has been helping put the deal together for the last two months.
We are so pleased that local people are re-investing in the community, Partnership Vice President Oppie Jordan said.
The Partnership contributed a $25,000 incentives grant.
In March, the Town of Tarboro applied to the Rural Center for a $250,000 building and reuse grant, based on $10,000 per employee.
This is good news and another shot in the arm for us, said Tarboro Mayor Donald Morris. I hope they have much success.
The creation of these new jobs and new investment is great news for our community, said Charlie Harrell, chairman of the Edgecombe County Board of Commissioners. Edgecombe County welcomes this good news.
Carolina Gateway Partnership Chairman Frank Harrison said, å…¸his is a great example of local investors seeing the potential and taking advantage of the excellent local business climate. This is good news for the two-county area.
The Partnership is a coalition of more than 200 public and private sector investors from Nash and Edgecombe counties, the City of Rocky Mount, the Town of Tarboro and the Town of Nashville.