ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, February 13, 1997 TAG: 9702130034
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE
SOURCE: JEFF STURGEON STAFF WRITER
5 B'S INC. CHOSE to expand in Henry County mainly to be near a large pool of employees with a good work ethic and familiarity with textiles.
An Ohio family has 4,372 reasons for building its planned new textile factory in Henry County. That's the number of experienced textile workers within 50 miles of the plant site who are registered with the Virginia Employment Commission as either unemployed or working in another field, and looking for textile work.
The figure - from Martinsville VEC manager Joyce Snead - didn't come up at an announcement Wednesday by 5 B's Inc. that it has plans for its new Virginia factory. But the community's eagerness for new textile jobs was clear from the hoots, hollers and hurrahs that followed the news.
No sooner did Jack Dalton, chairman of the Henry board of supervisors, mention the plant "employing 500 people" than his speech was interrupted by applause. The area has been hit by thousands of textile industry layoffs in recent years, most recently DuPont's announcement that it will close its nylon plant and lay off 550 people in 1998.
5 B's, of Zanesville, Ohio, about 60 miles east of Columbus, will build a $10 million factory for putting decorative designs on garments using embroidery. A package of state and local incentives awarded the company exceeds $800,000.
The private company said it expects to hire about 250 people within a year, 250 more by summer 1999 and another 500 by the end of 2001. The jobs will pay $8 to $10 an hour.
Wednesday's news was the largest announcement of new jobs in the Martinsville-Henry County area since the communities began a formal economic development program in 1983, said Bill Farrar, county spokesman.
Gov. George Allen said he considered it a victory for the U.S. because the trend is for textile manufacturers to move production to foreign countries.
5 B's was described by its top executives as a company seeking world dominance over its industry. The company's embroidery division is the nation's largest, said Lee Biles, who founded the company with his wife, Vicci. They began the outfit in the basement of their home in 1980, following his layoff from a steel plant. The company grew to sales of $1 million in 1988, and since then sales have grown at 60 percent a year. It's name reflects that Lee and Vicci Biles and their three grown children all work for the company.
In addition to embroidering garments, the company manufactures clothing for other companies and operates 50 B-Wear stores in Ohio and West Virginia.
Todd Biles, Lee's son who is president, said the company, with 1,200 employees and four plants today, intends to have 5,000 workers by 2000 and could build more facilities in Virginia.
5 B's Inc. chose to expand in Henry County mainly to be near a large number of potential employees with a good work ethic and familiarity with textiles, Lee Biles said. Making fabric and clothes is different from embroidery, he said, but training will be provided.
Also, he cited support from the local community and the presence of three major textile companies - Tultex Corp., Bassett-Walker Inc. and Pluma Inc.
Production is scheduled to begin March 17 in a temporary building in Beaver Creek Industrial Park, borrowed rent-free from Henry County. The factory will be built on an adjacent 25 acres of land, a gift from Henry County. County official Farrar said he did not know the value of those incentives, but said other incentives include a $200,000 break in the local machinery and tools tax, $300,000 grant from the Henry County Industrial Development Authority and $100,000 from a private, local business-assistance partnership. The state pledged $225,000 for training.
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