Cordele’s long-quiet Big Tex plant is getting a second act. Yancey Engineered Solutions, a division of Austell-based Yancey Bros., plans to pour $5.7 million into the shuttered facility and turn it into a hub for power-generation packaging systems. Company officials say the revamped factory could ultimately support up to 300 jobs, a jolt local leaders say the South Midway Road industrial corridor has been waiting on.
The project was formally announced June 25 in a press release from the governor’s office, which said Yancey will invest $5.7 million to renovate the former Big Tex facility at 502 South Midway Road and “create 300 new jobs over the next several years,” according to the Office of the Governor. Governor Brian Kemp said the expansion “will not only provide direct opportunity for hardworking Georgians in Crisp County, but it will help drive further growth statewide.”
Cordele Mayor Wesley Rainey and Crisp County officials welcomed the announcement and noted the redevelopment could make room for former Big Tex workers to return to the shop floor, as reported by WALB. The station also reported that Yancey plans to hire welders, quality-control technicians, assembly workers and drivers, and that the Cordele-Crisp Industrial Development Authority, Crisp County Power Commission and Georgia Quick Start teamed up to help land the deal.
What the plant will make and who it will hire
Yancey Engineered Solutions focuses on packaging, containerization and sound-attenuated enclosures for generators, and the Cordele operation will concentrate on power-generation packaging systems, according to Business Facilities. Company officials say the firm’s testing and service center in Griffin already handles similar enclosure work, which should help the Cordele site ramp up more smoothly once equipment is in place.
Workforce, timeline and local partners
State economic development officials say Georgia Quick Start will step in with workforce training as hiring scales up over the next several years, and Senior Regional Project Manager Christy Bozeman represented the Georgia Department of Economic Development on the competitive project, per the Office of the Governor. Local leaders also pointed out that reusing an existing industrial building cuts down on lead time and gives them a better chance to bring experienced manufacturing workers back into the fold.
Job seekers eyeing the new facility can look for openings and training details on the company’s careers page at Yancey Bros. careers. Cordele-Crisp Industrial Development Authority officials say site work is expected to begin soon. Company and county leaders have not given a firm opening date but say hiring will roll out gradually as the building is refurbished.
