United Chair Adds 125 Mississippi Jobs

Holland, Michigan’s United Chair will add 125 new jobs at a north Mississippi plant, as part of a consolidation of its North American operations that includes a Michigan facility closure.

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour announced the expansion of United Chair in Bruce at a news conference today in his capitol office. A chair made by the company was on display.

United Chair will close a chair factory in southwest Michigan by mid-2009. The closing of the Michigan plant and other measures are meant to trim 350 jobs.

The Mississippi Development Authority, the state’s economic agency, provided the company $500,000 for infrastructure improvements at the Mississippi plant and for costs of relocating equipment from Michigan. The company also will receive $219,000 in federal money from the Appalachian Regional Commission, and about $115,000 from the city of Bruce and Calhoun County.