LITTLE ROCK — Unilever, one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies, will add about 125 jobs at its plant in Jonesboro and invest $40 million for improvements at the 500,000-square-foot operation, the Netherlands-based company said Tuesday.
The jobs will be added throughout 2012, said Robb Vrbicek, manager of the plant. The hourly salaries will range between $14 for the least skilled positions to about $23 for the most skilled, Vrbicek said.
Alberto Culver, the beauty products company that Unilever bought in May, began construction of the $60 million Jonesboro plant in 2007.It opened in the 1,730-acre Craighead Technology Park in 2008 with 200 employees. Employment had grown to almost 400 before Tuesday’s announcement.
After Unilever purchased Alberto Culver, it closed two plants - a Unilever factory in Clinton, Conn., and an Alberto Culver plant in Melrose Park, Ill., said Vrbicek, who has been in Jonesboro for three months. He formerly worked with Unilever in the Chicago area.
Some of the operations in the closed plants will be consolidated at the Jonesboro factory, Vrbicek said.
The Jonesboro plant wasn’t chosen to remain open just because it is newer, Vrbicek said.
“There are a lot of things that go into a sourcing study like that,” Vrbicek said. “Newer had some to do with that, but not all of it. It included the expandability of the site and the long-term work force at the site.”
Unilever will not expand the size of the plant, Vrbicek said.
“We will not add any bricks and mortar, no additional square footage,” Vrbicek said. “Everything will be done internally, in equipment and assets.”
Mark Young, president and chief executive officer of the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce, said the community is pleased with Unilever’s growth.
“When an existing employer announces an expansion, it certainly has a big impact on Jonesboro and northeast Arkansas,” Young said.
Craighead County had an unemployment rate of 7.5 percent in August, the most recent month available, below the state’s rate of 8.3 percent. There were 3,550 people unemployed in the county in August with a labor force of 47,325.
The addition of 125 jobs is one of the largest employment announcements in Jonesboro in two years, Young said.
“This has been a fairly short time,” Young said. “To have a significant investment and expansion in four short years is big news for us.”
The Jonesboro plant manufactures leading Alberto Culver beauty care products such as TRESemme, Nexxus, Motions and St. Ives. With the expansion, it will add Unilever brands such as Dove, Vaseline, Ponds, Axe and Suave.
Those interested in applying for work at the Jonesboro plant can visit www.unileverusa.com/careers.
Unilever has about 167,000 employees in more than 100 countries.
Business, Pages 29 on 10/26/2011