Ruger Eyes Texas for Big New Plant

[Raoul Duke]

There's a Glock Talk member that works at the Prescott AZ Ruger plant that has discussed this recently. It seems Ruger doesn't pay all that well, based on his reports. From that, it could be surmised that Ruger's salary surveys for the potential plant locations probably showed NC to be a better fit on that criterion. Supposedly, the NC location has significant unemployment which has reduced wage demands. Since both TX and OK have relatively low unemployment and the strong influence of oilfield wages bumping up overall wages likely put both states out of the running.

Considering the per capita income in Mayodan is reported to be $15,607 that makes sense.

I wish we still had manufacturers in this country who believed that their employees should earn a wage that would allow them to purchase the products they produce. I guess I've wrongly assumed this was a corporate philosophy of Ruger or just wanted to believe this because I enjoy their products so much.

 

[Fredkrueger100]

Ruger Eyes Texas for Big New Plant Carolinas Also in the Running; No Changes Seen in Newport

Newport — Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc. plans to expand and create 500 to 700 new jobs, the company’s president and CEO announced last week. But that expansion won’t be in New England.

Michael O. Fifer told the firm’s shareholders at their annual meeting last week that company is looking for an existing 250,000-square-foot building, and Fifer said he hopes Texas Gov. Rick Perry will give it to him.

Fifer said Tuesday he planned to meet with Perry this weekend at the National Rifle Association convention in Houston to ask the governor for a building suitable for a plant to manufacture new lines of products.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he does it,” the Fifer said.

Ruger, which is headquartered in Southport, Conn., with a workforce of 2,100 and manufacturing facilities in Newport and Prescott, Ariz., plans to spend about $30 million on the expansion, and the company has narrowed the search for the facility to North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.

Why not Oklahoma?

That is what I would like to know. Oklahoma has plenty of perks for businesses that want to come here. Plus we have a very good economy. Just doesn't make much sense to me. I wonder if they even looked here?