Orleans Manufacturing Facility Under New Ownership
The Orange County Economic Development Partnership says a manufacturing facility in Orleans will soon have new life. Jasper Group has announced plans to expand operations to the facility, which was set to be closed by office furniture company Paoli LLC.
Paoli announced in October 2016 it would close the 1.2 million-square-foot building and lay off nearly 500 employees. The OCEDP says approximately 120 workers are still employed at the facility.
Paoli parent HNI donated the building to the OCEDP in earlier this month. Jasper Group quickly acquired the facility for an undisclosed sum and plans to retain the building’s current employees and add more manufacturing jobs once operation begins in the first quarter of 2018.
"We plan for a seamless transition and are very optimistic about our new employees and our new building in Orleans, which is now the largest facility for the Jasper Group, and a perfect complement to our other operations," said Mike Elliott, chairman and chief executive officer of Jasper Group. "We have had a great experience working with the OCEDP to make this expansion happen and couldn’t be more pleased to keep jobs here in Orange County."
The OCEDP says Paoli is expected to wind down operations at the facility by the end of February, at which point Jasper Group will begin equipping the building for its operations. Jasper Group will also use the facility for warehousing and shipping for its various product lines.
Based in Dubois County, Jasper Group manufactures furniture for the business and hospitality industries, as well as public spaces. The company already has a presence in Orange County with operations in French Lick and Paoli.