New laundry finally ready for opening

Published 12:00 am Thursday, July 4, 2002

Although it hasn’t been the best of times economically in Selma for the past year, there appears to be a light at the end of a long and dark tunnel.

Crown Health Care Laundry, a laundry processing business, is opening a processing plant in Selma, something which could bring 150 new jobs to the community, within a matter of three years.

Rick Hamlin, who is vice president of operations at Crown Health, and will be managing the plant in Selma, said initially the plant would employ 35 to 40 full-time associates.

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“What we are hoping to do is expand as much as we can within the next two to three years,” said Hamlin.

The facility, built over a year ago, which is located on Highway 41 in the South Dallas Industrial Park area, was originally built and owned by the South Dallas Industrial Park group.

The park received funding to build the facility from Pioneer Electric Cooperative, a utility company in Selma, said George Alford, an economic development specialist at Pioneer and the manager of the South Dallas Industrial Park.

The building was then purchased by Baptist Health, a health care company based in Montgomery, whose hospital facilities laundry needs are looked after by Crown.

Jody PIgg, Baptist Health’s CFO, said that the company originally planned to open a laundry plant at the site in Selma in conjunction with Crown, but then eventually abandoned the idea.

According to several sources, Baptist Health was then briefly

entangled in a lawsuit with HCH Construction and Rayco, two construction companies, who constructed the facility in Selma.

Sources at both companies said that Baptist Health had failed to pay some debts owed to the construction companies, but that the lawsuit had been settled.

Eventually, Crown then purchased the facility from Baptist Health. Construction of the new plant has taken place over the past year, said Hamlin.

Entering through the front door of the facility, all one sees at first is empty offices.

But go through the door towards the back of the building, and there lies the machinery, washers, boilers, even computers.

“It’s all here,” says Hamlin. “This is where all the work is done.”

Adds Hamlin, “Everything is ready to go.” The only thing missing-the employees.

The business is expected to put the machines into action “probably as of Aug. 1,” said Hamlin.

Crown, a 46 year old company, has focused on doing laundry mainly for health care facilities in different areas of the country, said Hamlin.

The reason for moving into the facility in Selma, he said, is that it will open the business to several new markets that were too far to service from its current Pensacola location.

Crown’s only other location, he added, is in Columbia, S. C., at the Fort Jackson Army Base. The plant in South Carolina, he said,

strictly processes linen for military servicemen.

Aside from Selma being in an ideal location, Hamlin said there were other reasons for moving the new plant to Selma.

“One thing, I would definitely say, is that Selma is a friendly community, and we also feel they have an excellent work force,” he said. “It is also a community that is going through some tough times economically, but we feel it really has potential.”

Hamlin added that local community leaders, like Dallas County Probate Judge Johnny Jones and Wayne Vardaman, who is head of the Dallas County Economic Development Authority, deserved credit for bringing Crown to Selma.

“They really do deserve a lot of praise, and they are a big reason why we are here,” he said.

Hamlin noted most employees at the facility would start at $6 an hour, receive benefits, and that they would also receive special training before starting on the job.

Local residents, who wish to apply for jobs at the plant, are asked contact their local employment office.

cutline: Rick Hamlin, who will be managing the Crown Health Care Laundry facility in Selma, said the plant could bring up to 150 new jobs to the community.