Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, July 18, 1995                   TAG: 9507180056
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RICHARD FOSTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

UNION: PLANT FOR SALE

RBX Holdings Inc., Rubatex's parent company, has been showing its Bedford plant to prospective buyers, said Price Parker Jr., president of the United Steelworkers of America local.

"It's no secret. It's been up for sale," he said. RBX "buys and sells, that's what they do. Groups have been coming through the plant for over a month now. They've had several groups in who seem to be interested.

"We just hope it's going to be run the same."

Rubatex's spokesman and vice president of human resources, Gerald Kirschke, said, "At this point, we're not going to deny or confirm any rumors.

"When we're ready to make an announcement, we'll make an announcement."

Kirschke added: "We're a privately held company. We're not a public company. We're not required to make any filings" with regulators of corporations whose stock is publicly traded.

Kirschke was reluctant to elaborate on his statement. "In situations similar to this, I've seen things fall apart at the last minute," he said.

Rubatex employs about 1,400 people - 700 of whom work in Bedford. The corporation nearly doubled its work force this year when RBX acquired Halstead Corp., which had two foam rubber manufacturing plants, in North Carolina and Arkansas.

Most of Rubatex's Bedford employees are members of the United Steelworkers Union since its recent merger with the United Rubber Workers.

RBX, a management and investment company, bought Rubatex in 1990. RBX officials had said Rubatex would go public after RBX paid off debts from its leveraged buyout of the rubber manufacturer.