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Officials Break Ground for Company Expansion, Job Creation

Officials toss the ceremonial dirt Tuesday marking the company’s official start to the expansion.
Photo by Scott Harvey
Officials toss the ceremonial dirt Tuesday marking the company’s official start to the expansion.

GREENVILLE - Work is officially underway on the $26 million expansion at Weatherford Artificial Lift Systems in Greenville following Tuesday’s groundbreaking ceremony.

Upon completion of an additional 105,000 square feet this summer, the company will have the capacity and demand to bring in another 100 jobs. That’s double the plant’s current workforce. 

Vice president of Weatherford’s Global Business Unit Ernie Dunn says had it not been for the quality of work at the plant, we wouldn’t be here today.

“They put out the finest quality and they’re one of the most efficient and well run businesses that I think we have in Weatherford. And it speaks as a testimony to the quality of the people in this community that we’re going to be able to pull the future workforce for next door over here out of.”

Weatherford is a major supplier of oil and gas drilling equipment and production services. The company has been in Greenville for more than 25 years.

Greenville Board of Development President and CEO Greg Simms said that upon completion of the expansion, Weatherford will have invested over 50 million in the community.

”I think at a time where there are many companies and many organizations struggling in the global economy right now to see a company that’s productive and expanding is quite a testament to your motivations and your business right now,” Hunt County Judge John Horn said.

Mayor Tom Oliver added Tuesday, “Weatherford I believe has two corporate objectives: Efficiency and productivity. And certainly that’s something that all government agencies could take on as their objective.”

The groundbreaking follows a December announcement that another Greenville manufacturer, Newell Rubbermaid, plans to consolidate operations, resulting in the loss of some 500 workers.

Greenville Chamber President Sally Bird noted, “This is an exciting event, obviously because it’s an expansion. It’s also somewhat poignant in a way because as Greg [Simms] knows the Chamber and the Economic Development are working on a job fair for Rubbermaid employees which is very sad; but to see this expansion happening at the same time helps a whole lot in mitigating some of that pain that we’re feeling.”