An Alabama-born businessman wants to return to his roots to start an injection molding business.
Richard Pugh has applied to municipal officials in Thomasville, Ala., to set up a molding shop in the town. The facility would supply parts to regional automotive facilities and aerospace markets.
Pugh now owns a transportation logistics company, RDS, in Freemont, Calif. He would call the new molding company Black Belt Industries, named after an Alabama region that includes his home county, Clarke, in which Thomasville is located.
Although Pugh has no plastics experience, he has hired an engineer to help steer the project.
``We feel the area needs people to get jobs,'' Pugh said in a telephone interview from Freemont.
He noted an unemployment problem in Clarke County while reading local papers to keep up with the news back home. A new business would have good access to labor, and a local school, Alabama Southern Community College, can help train workers for jobs in his molding plant.
Pugh envisions a $3 million investment that could bring as many as 75 jobs to Thomasville. He currently is leaning toward building a greenfield facility, but he remains open to renovating an existing building if engineering studies show it is feasible.
Pugh is negotiating with local officials for possible incentives. Once he gives the project a green light, it could be up and running in six to eight months, he said.
The new business would be a way for Pugh to give back to the community he came from, he said.