A Look Back at Industry
Moultrie Magazine
By: Judi Lovvorn
One only needs to come to the football stadium on a Friday night this fall to see how deep Packer-pride runs in Colquitt County. But, the amazing part is how that fierce wild boar came to be the county mascot we all revere. The story began in 1914 with the opening of Moultrie Packing Company. Faced with the declining demand for timber for naval stores operations and a sudden threat of boll weevil to cotton, several Moultrie businessmen launched a meat packing operation to provide a market for hogs and cattle. Their ultimate goal was to develop a livestock industry in South Georgia, and it proved to be a successful mission. Three years later, Moultrie Packing was purchased by Swift and Company and began a strong assent as the area’s top employer which at its prime, employed over 750 individuals. The decision to select the Packer Hawg as the high school’s mascot provides a glimpse of the identification the county received from this meat packing industry and the loyalty of the early Colquitt Countians to immortalize it forever. Packer-pride communicates how much life revolved around industry in the early 1900’s.
Industries still play a vital role in communities today, although few get the privilege of being the name-sake of the school’s athletic program. By the sheer law of economics, industries help citizens by providing tax revenue to offset individual taxes. That means as citizens we pay less for the services and necessities we enjoy such as improved roads, utility infrastructure, schools, public services and many other quality of life benefits. Of course, the most obvious advantage is that industries provide jobs for citizens, which directly improves the prosperity of the community. Take a journey with me as we explore a few of the industries that have deep roots in Colquitt County and discover why the future looks bright.
Riverside Manufacturing Company The oldest industry still in operation in Colquitt County was established in 1911 by W.C. Vereen and his son, W.J. Vereen. With the intention of manufacturing diversified items such as mattresses, spring beds, cots, household and office furniture, and clothing of all descriptions, Riverside has evolved into one of the premiere providers of corporate and route uniforms in the United States and worldwide. Some of their biggest name clients include Coca-Cola, Budweiser, SAB Miller, UPS, Waffle House, AmeriGas, Orkin, Schwans, and Chevron, just to name a few. Headquartered here in Moultrie, Riverside sells to all 50 states, as well as over 200 countries and employs approximately 1000 employees in its Colquitt County facilities.
Just last year, Riverside, nominated by Moultrie Technical College, was recognized by the State of Georgia as the Manufacturer of the Year in the large company category. This state-designation recognizes manufacturers who are innovative, utilize highly-automated processes, and who are strong corporate citizens in their community. The current company president, W. Jerry Vereen, represents the fourth generation of family member ownership with fifth generation family members actively involved in the company for some time. As the textile industry in America has struggled, Riverside has maintained its competitive-edge through high-quality products and employee commitment to provide a premium product to their customers. Two of Riverside’s newest ventures are flame-retardant uniforms marketed to electrical and other utility providers, and uniforms for law enforcement and fire departments marketed nationwide.
Hubbell Die Casting Charlie Boaz worked for a diecasting-machine retailer in the mid-1940’s when he came from Texas to Moultrie to service equipment for a small company named Southern Industrial Diecasting located where the Moultrie Colquitt County Library now sits. Mr. Boaz learned that the current owner was interested in selling the business and decided to call Moultrie home. The early products crafted were small frying pans and machine parts to support the textile and cotton gin plants that were so prevalent during that time. In 1972, Mr. Boaz’ son, Ken, sold the company to Hubbell Lighting, Inc. Hubbell moved the plant to its current location on Industrial Drive in 1973.
Working primarily with aluminum, Hubbell produces parts for lighting fixtures and its Power Systems Division supports the repair of power lines and wires. Hubbell Die Casting produces over 150,000 lighting castings and over 2 million power system and custom customer castings each month. These parts are shipped across the Southeastern United States, Canada, California, and to Mexico. Hubbell Die Casting employs approximately 125 individuals who span three shifts and utilize a combination of partially and fully automated diecasting machines.
Moultrie Manufacturing Company Spence Field’s aviation training brought many new residents to Moultrie in the 1940’s and 1950’s who embraced Moultrie’s southern hospitality and charm. Such is the case of Bill Smith, Sr. Mr. Smith, originally from Cleveland, Ohio, came to Moultrie as a Chief Test Pilot at Spence Field. In 1952, he purchased a small foundry located on the corner of Barrell Alley and Dirty Spoon. Originally the company produced custom plaques and garden markers. Once the Korean War restrictions on building materials were lifted in 1953, Moultrie Manufacturing was able to begin using aluminum for production, rather than iron. Because aluminum is more rust resistant and a lighter weight metal, this proved to be advantageous for the company by enhancing product quality and allowing the introduction of new products. By the late 1960’s Moultrie Manufacturing began fabricating, not only column caps and bases, but columns themselves. In 1984, Moultrie Manufacturing introduced the powder paint process which further enhanced product quality and offered a more environmentally friendly coating-method.
Today, under the direction of Bill Smith, Jr., Moultrie Manufacturing employs approximately 85 individuals. Their primary products are outdoor furniture, hand railing, decorative columns and fencing which are shipped nation-wide and internationally. Much of their market comes from high-end interior designers and architects. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations for public and commercial hand railing have also sparked tremendous growth for the company. Moultrie Manufacturing’s sales have quadrupled over the last six years, and a few big name customers include Lowe’s and Home Depot.
Maule Air, Inc. In 1968, B.D. Maule moved his family and his business from Napoleon, Michigan to Moultrie’s Spence Field. Mr. Maule had a strong history of successes from his early days serving with the Army’s 19 th Airship Company in Virginia and the start-up of the B.D. Maule Company in 1941, building a light aircraft tailwheel. As an avid pilot and designer, he set out in 1952 to design a high-powered utility aircraft for serious aviators like himself. In fact, Maule aircrafts still have a worldwide reputation for their ruggedness and dependability.
Today, Maule aircrafts are much more luxurious and better equipped with modern avionics than Mr. Maule’s original bush-design aircraft. Specializing in four and five passenger planes, Maule Air creates a basic model, but customizes aircrafts to consumer specifications which attracts customers nationally and internationally. Maule Air currently employs 88 individuals. As an accomplished aircraft designer and builder, Maule Air still holds the world record for Time of Climb with a turbine-powered amphibious aircraft by elevating from zero to 10,000 feet in four minutes and 23 seconds. A new area of interest for Maule Air includes diesel engine planes.
Moultrie Post Form Founded in 1976 by James Tidwell and Earnest Gay in a building belonging to Ozzie Smith, Moultrie Postform Countertops, Inc. was born. Production began with laminate, cabinetry, and furniture to supply the mobile home industry. In the mid-1980’s the name was changed to Moultrie Post Form. Dale Wynn purchased company stock during that same time and today, Earnest Gay and he are equal owners in the company.
Moultrie Post Form provides a diverse product line including wooden office furniture, upholstered chairs, cabinetry, media and library furniture and a large assortment of laminates. Much of its products are fabricated in Moultrie and sent to other locations for assembly. The woodworking operation is housed at the Spence Field plant, while the laminate production occurs at the First Avenue NE facility with a combined total of over 160 employees. Goods are shipped to locations in the Eastern seaboard, Southeastern United States, and Canada. Major retailers of Moultrie Post Form products are Turner’s, Haverty’s, Cosco, and Aaron’s.
Colquitt County is fortunate to have quality corporate partners in the companies listed above, who collectively support through their employees, United Way, Relay for Life, American Red Cross, The Colquitt County Arts Center, YMCA, the Chamber of Commerce, Habitat for Humanity, CCHS apprenticeship programs, Communities in Schools, mentor programs, and many consistently donate products and time to community fundraising and humanitarian causes.
Manufacturing provides jobs for approximately 450,000 Georgians, or almost 10% of the state. It also produces an annual impact of $61 billion on Georgia’s economy. Moultrie Technical College honors our long-standing industries for the continual support they provide to the economic well-being and goals of Colquitt County, and we salute them for the stamina, perseverance, innovation, and performance they’ve shown in the challenges of today’s global economy.
Moultrie Technical College ’s Economic Development Division specializes in workforce development training programs designed to enhance employee productivity and efficiency, while creating a better-skilled workforce.
Moultrie Magazine
By: Judi Lovvorn
|
|---|
One only needs to come to the football stadium on a Friday night this fall to see how deep Packer-pride runs in Colquitt County. But, the amazing part is how that fierce wild boar came to be the county mascot we all revere. The story began in 1914 with the opening of Moultrie Packing Company. Faced with the declining demand for timber for naval stores operations and a sudden threat of boll weevil to cotton, several Moultrie businessmen launched a meat packing operation to provide a market for hogs and cattle. Their ultimate goal was to develop a livestock industry in South Georgia, and it proved to be a successful mission. Three years later, Moultrie Packing was purchased by Swift and Company and began a strong assent as the area’s top employer which at its prime, employed over 750 individuals. The decision to select the Packer Hawg as the high school’s mascot provides a glimpse of the identification the county received from this meat packing industry and the loyalty of the early Colquitt Countians to immortalize it forever. Packer-pride communicates how much life revolved around industry in the early 1900’s.
Industries still play a vital role in communities today, although few get the privilege of being the name-sake of the school’s athletic program. By the sheer law of economics, industries help citizens by providing tax revenue to offset individual taxes. That means as citizens we pay less for the services and necessities we enjoy such as improved roads, utility infrastructure, schools, public services and many other quality of life benefits. Of course, the most obvious advantage is that industries provide jobs for citizens, which directly improves the prosperity of the community. Take a journey with me as we explore a few of the industries that have deep roots in Colquitt County and discover why the future looks bright.
|
|---|
Riverside Manufacturing Company The oldest industry still in operation in Colquitt County was established in 1911 by W.C. Vereen and his son, W.J. Vereen. With the intention of manufacturing diversified items such as mattresses, spring beds, cots, household and office furniture, and clothing of all descriptions, Riverside has evolved into one of the premiere providers of corporate and route uniforms in the United States and worldwide. Some of their biggest name clients include Coca-Cola, Budweiser, SAB Miller, UPS, Waffle House, AmeriGas, Orkin, Schwans, and Chevron, just to name a few. Headquartered here in Moultrie, Riverside sells to all 50 states, as well as over 200 countries and employs approximately 1000 employees in its Colquitt County facilities.
|
|---|
Just last year, Riverside, nominated by Moultrie Technical College, was recognized by the State of Georgia as the Manufacturer of the Year in the large company category. This state-designation recognizes manufacturers who are innovative, utilize highly-automated processes, and who are strong corporate citizens in their community. The current company president, W. Jerry Vereen, represents the fourth generation of family member ownership with fifth generation family members actively involved in the company for some time. As the textile industry in America has struggled, Riverside has maintained its competitive-edge through high-quality products and employee commitment to provide a premium product to their customers. Two of Riverside’s newest ventures are flame-retardant uniforms marketed to electrical and other utility providers, and uniforms for law enforcement and fire departments marketed nationwide.
Hubbell Die Casting Charlie Boaz worked for a diecasting-machine retailer in the mid-1940’s when he came from Texas to Moultrie to service equipment for a small company named Southern Industrial Diecasting located where the Moultrie Colquitt County Library now sits. Mr. Boaz learned that the current owner was interested in selling the business and decided to call Moultrie home. The early products crafted were small frying pans and machine parts to support the textile and cotton gin plants that were so prevalent during that time. In 1972, Mr. Boaz’ son, Ken, sold the company to Hubbell Lighting, Inc. Hubbell moved the plant to its current location on Industrial Drive in 1973.
Working primarily with aluminum, Hubbell produces parts for lighting fixtures and its Power Systems Division supports the repair of power lines and wires. Hubbell Die Casting produces over 150,000 lighting castings and over 2 million power system and custom customer castings each month. These parts are shipped across the Southeastern United States, Canada, California, and to Mexico. Hubbell Die Casting employs approximately 125 individuals who span three shifts and utilize a combination of partially and fully automated diecasting machines.
Moultrie Manufacturing Company Spence Field’s aviation training brought many new residents to Moultrie in the 1940’s and 1950’s who embraced Moultrie’s southern hospitality and charm. Such is the case of Bill Smith, Sr. Mr. Smith, originally from Cleveland, Ohio, came to Moultrie as a Chief Test Pilot at Spence Field. In 1952, he purchased a small foundry located on the corner of Barrell Alley and Dirty Spoon. Originally the company produced custom plaques and garden markers. Once the Korean War restrictions on building materials were lifted in 1953, Moultrie Manufacturing was able to begin using aluminum for production, rather than iron. Because aluminum is more rust resistant and a lighter weight metal, this proved to be advantageous for the company by enhancing product quality and allowing the introduction of new products. By the late 1960’s Moultrie Manufacturing began fabricating, not only column caps and bases, but columns themselves. In 1984, Moultrie Manufacturing introduced the powder paint process which further enhanced product quality and offered a more environmentally friendly coating-method.
Today, under the direction of Bill Smith, Jr., Moultrie Manufacturing employs approximately 85 individuals. Their primary products are outdoor furniture, hand railing, decorative columns and fencing which are shipped nation-wide and internationally. Much of their market comes from high-end interior designers and architects. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations for public and commercial hand railing have also sparked tremendous growth for the company. Moultrie Manufacturing’s sales have quadrupled over the last six years, and a few big name customers include Lowe’s and Home Depot.
|
|---|
Maule Air, Inc. In 1968, B.D. Maule moved his family and his business from Napoleon, Michigan to Moultrie’s Spence Field. Mr. Maule had a strong history of successes from his early days serving with the Army’s 19 th Airship Company in Virginia and the start-up of the B.D. Maule Company in 1941, building a light aircraft tailwheel. As an avid pilot and designer, he set out in 1952 to design a high-powered utility aircraft for serious aviators like himself. In fact, Maule aircrafts still have a worldwide reputation for their ruggedness and dependability.
Today, Maule aircrafts are much more luxurious and better equipped with modern avionics than Mr. Maule’s original bush-design aircraft. Specializing in four and five passenger planes, Maule Air creates a basic model, but customizes aircrafts to consumer specifications which attracts customers nationally and internationally. Maule Air currently employs 88 individuals. As an accomplished aircraft designer and builder, Maule Air still holds the world record for Time of Climb with a turbine-powered amphibious aircraft by elevating from zero to 10,000 feet in four minutes and 23 seconds. A new area of interest for Maule Air includes diesel engine planes.
Moultrie Post Form Founded in 1976 by James Tidwell and Earnest Gay in a building belonging to Ozzie Smith, Moultrie Postform Countertops, Inc. was born. Production began with laminate, cabinetry, and furniture to supply the mobile home industry. In the mid-1980’s the name was changed to Moultrie Post Form. Dale Wynn purchased company stock during that same time and today, Earnest Gay and he are equal owners in the company.
Moultrie Post Form provides a diverse product line including wooden office furniture, upholstered chairs, cabinetry, media and library furniture and a large assortment of laminates. Much of its products are fabricated in Moultrie and sent to other locations for assembly. The woodworking operation is housed at the Spence Field plant, while the laminate production occurs at the First Avenue NE facility with a combined total of over 160 employees. Goods are shipped to locations in the Eastern seaboard, Southeastern United States, and Canada. Major retailers of Moultrie Post Form products are Turner’s, Haverty’s, Cosco, and Aaron’s.
Colquitt County is fortunate to have quality corporate partners in the companies listed above, who collectively support through their employees, United Way, Relay for Life, American Red Cross, The Colquitt County Arts Center, YMCA, the Chamber of Commerce, Habitat for Humanity, CCHS apprenticeship programs, Communities in Schools, mentor programs, and many consistently donate products and time to community fundraising and humanitarian causes.
Manufacturing provides jobs for approximately 450,000 Georgians, or almost 10% of the state. It also produces an annual impact of $61 billion on Georgia’s economy. Moultrie Technical College honors our long-standing industries for the continual support they provide to the economic well-being and goals of Colquitt County, and we salute them for the stamina, perseverance, innovation, and performance they’ve shown in the challenges of today’s global economy.
Moultrie Technical College ’s Economic Development Division specializes in workforce development training programs designed to enhance employee productivity and efficiency, while creating a better-skilled workforce.
