CHICAGO — After a decade of rise and fall, Stylemaster Inc. and its chief executive officer, Martha Williams, are set to rise some more.
Groundbreaking ceremonies are scheduled this morning for a new, $50 million, 1.5 million-square-foot plant on Chicago's South Side.
The housewares injection molding plant is slated to open in the fall, adding about 500 new jobs to the once-deteriorating area.
The facility will include manufacturing, warehousing and distribution. The company previously has outsourced its manufacturing.
Located in a 63-acre industrial park, the plant will be built in two phases, each one totaling about 770,000 square feet. The plant will operate about 25 presses for customers such as Kmart Corp. and Target Stores Inc.
>From the company's low point in 1994 when it was forced into involuntary bankruptcy, it has increased sales to $28 million expected this year.