(McAlester, Okla.)-February
10, 2005 – A multi-million-dollar expansion of an existing 150,000-square-foot,
state-of-the-art distribution and logistics center will bring about 70 new jobs
to the McAlester area according to Charles Komar, President and CEO of New-York
based Charles Komar and Sons, Inc.
Komar announced yesterday that by the end of the three-phase project, Komar
will have constructed an additional 300,000 square feet onto its McAlester facility
to serve its customers throughout the United States and the world. The investment,
including land, construction and equipment, will total $4.5 million dollars and
will give Komar 450,000 square-feet of total operating space. Construction of
the first 100,000 square feet of phase one is set to begin in the next 30-60
days.
Along with the expanded facility, approximately 70 new jobs will also be created
over the next few years. Komar said salaries for the new employees will be above
the county average as the company has qualified for Oklahoma’s Small Employer
Quality Jobs program by creating these new positions.
“The prime reason for our choice of location is the productivity, expertise
and dedication of our McAlester employees,” Komar said. “We are extremely
proud of our team as they are considered to be among the best in our industry
at building and operating efficient distribution and warehousing systems.”
Komar
is among the largest distributors of women's sleep wear in the world to such
companies as Wal-Mart, JC Penney and Macy’s. The company
distributes Liz Claiborne, Eileen West and French Kitty sleep wear along with
private label brands for Wal-Mart and JC Penney.
Komar joins several other major
distribution and logistics companies that have recently located in Oklahoma including
Big Lots, Best Buy and DollarTree. Komar
is building the new 15-acre distribution site to service the company’s
growing Wal-Mart business and offer distribution services to other companies.
“Wal-Mart
has been terrific to work with,” said Komar. “Wal-Mart’s
management is very pleased with our expansion plans and is delighted that Komar
will be adding a significant number of new jobs over the next few years in McAlester. Wal-Mart
is playing a key role in making this a positive economic story for the city and
people of McAlester
.”Harry Gaffney, Komar’s Chief Financial Officer said that the cooperation
and positive service from the company’s partners in Oklahoma including
the McAlester Economic Development Service (MEDS), the Oklahoma Department of
Commerce, the McAlester Foundation Inc., KEDDO, the Oklahoma Department of Career
and Technology Education, and the city of McAlester, has helped with the
company’s efforts to expand.
The site will be located between Main and A streets on the south side of V.
Hubert Smith Drive and local officials say McAlester is excited about the jobs,
investment and sales tax revenue this expansion will create for the community.
“The
McAlester Foundation partnered with the Charles Komar and Sons firm when it first
stated in McAlester 38 years ago and we are glad to do it again,” said Dick Dudley, President of the McAlester Foundation. “This
is the way economic development is supposed to work – everyone working
together to create a beneficial business climate.” |
