Tifton’s economic woes continued this week with the closing of another plant in the Industrial Park. Whirlwind Steel Buildings Inc., which manufactures metal building components and metal building systems, has closed its Tifton plant according to Carrie Miller, media representative with the company’s corporate office in Houston.

The closing of the Whirlwind facility marks the fifth plant closing in Tift County in recent months.

The Tifton plant, known as Whirlwind Building Systems located on Oak Ridge Church Road, employed approximately 40 people. The company also has plants in Houston, Texas, Claremore, Okla., Lathrop, Calif., Lithia Springs, and Freeport, Minn.

Whirlwind has occupied the former Steel Span/Adel Steel building since April of this year. They have leased the property and equipment from the Tift County Development Authority. Whirlwind invested over $100,000 to renovate and restore the equipment to a productive and safe working order for its operation.

As recently as Nov. 1, the company paid the TCDA $220,000 to purchase equipment from the Tift County Development Authority. Jack Sturdivant, president of Whirlwind, signed the purchase agreement and the check which was accepted by Bob Reinhardt for the TCDA.

In August, Earl Denham, president and CEO of the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce, reported to the TCDA that Whirlwind had expanded its workforce to 36 employees and looked to add another 50 employees within the next two years. He told the TCDA that Whirlwind also wanted to expand its building by 35,000 square feet. He said Whirlwind expected to spend $15,000 plus an additional $23,000 over and above what it had already spent to repair and restore the equipment in the building to proper working order. Denham told the TCDA that Whirlwind was not satisfied with paying so much to restore equipment that it did not own. He said Whirlwind wanted to purchase the site and the equipment for $2 million. The company offered to pay $220,000 for the equipment and $1.78 million for the property and building. The TCDA voted unanimously to approve and accept Whirlwind’s offer of $2 million.

In September, Denham reported that Whirlwind wanted the TCDA to finance the addition to the building in the amount of $250,000. The cost of the addition was to have been added to the purchase price of the building for a total of $2.03 million. Denham said the lease would be amended to recapture the $250,000 investment and include an option for Whirlwind to buy. The lease would be $2.36 per square foot for years one through five and $3.21 per square foot for years six through 10. The TCDA would also amend the payments in lieu of taxes accordingly. Taxes were $22,475 annually.

In October, Denham reported to the TCDA that Whirlwind’s plans to add on to its building and expand its operation were on hold “due to recent changes in the economy.”

Denham told The Gazette Tuesday, “They were good guys who worked hard to keep it going.”

He said of the plants closings, “This is cyclical, other communities go through the same thing. Swift left Moultrie, another plant left Thomasville. Instead of finger pointing, the community needs to band together to get more industry in here.”

The closing of the Whirlwind Building Systems plant follows other Tifton plant closings:

• Tifton Aluminum, which employed 200.

• Avondale Mills, which employed 89.

• Shaw Industries (one of its two Tifton plants), which employed 228.

• Prestolite Wire, which employs 100 people will close in June 2008.

Shaw Industries also closed its manufacturing plant in Fitzgerald which employed 556 workers. Delphi Corporation’s battery plant in Fitzgerald was also closed last year.



To contact reporter Jana Cone, call 382-4321, ext. 208.