Named heroes of Katrina in 2005 by CNN, the Oreck Corporation and family is committed to manufacturing and jobs in the United States. Cookeville, Tenn. agrees.
Thanks to Oreck's commitment, the manufacturer of the popular eight-pound vacuum, air purifiers and other products for a cleaner, healthier home will expand its manufacturing facilities to Cookeville. According to Oreck Corporation president and CEO Tom Oreck, initially Oreck will bring at least 100 new jobs to town. The majority are assembly, material handlers and skilled trades. There are also some professional and maintenance positions.
"Cookeville complements our existing Long Beach, Miss., facility," Oreck said. "Additional manufacturing locations are necessary to meet consumer demand for new, innovative products and accommodate future growth."
"Cookeville was selected because of its ideal geographic shipping location, strong work ethic and the commitment by State and local leaders to attract and grow business in Tennessee," Oreck said.
Oreck Corporation entered into an agreement to purchase a 310,000-square-foot Cookeville facility from TRW Vehicle Safety Systems, Inc.
"This is a positive development for Tennessee, Putnam County and Cookeville," said Governor Phil Bredesen. "Attracting good paying manufacturing jobs is an important part of our job creation strategy. Having our efforts embraced by an industry leader like Oreck is a strong endorsement of Tennessee's business climate."
Despite the devastation of Hurricane Katrina which hit both Oreck's New Orleans headquarters and Gulf Coast Mississippi plant less than a year ago, Oreck was the first to reopen a national headquarters in New Orleans and a plant on the Gulf Coast just 10 days after the storm. Oreck saved jobs and gave hope by bringing in food, water, housing, generators, medical supplies and counselors for their employees in the aftermath of the worst natural disaster in the history of this nation.
"My dad, David Oreck, founded this company in 1963. The support of our employees, suppliers and the American public helped it grow," Oreck said. "I wasn't about to let a hurricane destroy what he created.
"We have a huge responsibility to our employees and their families not just in New Orleans and Mississippi, but all across the country. That responsibility also extends to the employees and families of Oreck's Clean Home Centers and the employees and families of our suppliers, vendors and agencies."
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