MANUFACTURING FIRM TO LOCATE IN NASH ROAD INDUSTRIAL PARK

A manufacturer of plastic bottles has announced plans to locate a facility in the Cape Girardeau.

Texberry Container Corp., a Houston-based manufacturer and distributor of plastic bottles ranging from two ounces to two-and-a-half gallons, announced this week it would establish a plant in Nash Road Industrial Park.

"The new company will be in the old Florsheim Shoe Warehouse building," said D. Mitch Robinson, executive director of the Cape Girardeau Area Industrial Recruitment Association.

Texberry Container Corp. officials Rick Zirkler, executive vice president, operations, and John Buckley, executive vice president, manufacturer, were in Cape Girardeau Friday.

The company will occupy 70,000 square feet of the 270,000-square-foot structure, owned by Penzel & Co., which recently purchased the building from Interco Co.

"We have leased the entire 270,000 square feet to Golden Cat Corp.," said Gene Penzel of the Penzel Co.

Golden Cat is utilizing most of the building for warehousing, but has sublet 70,000 square feet to Texberry.

Present when Zirkler and Buckley made their announcement Friday were Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce President John Mehner and Joe Gambill, a Biokyowa consultant and chamber member.

"Golden Cat is one of our big customers," said Zirkler. "We provide one to two-gallon containers for Golden Cat products."

Golden Cat is the former Lowe Industries Inc., a manufacturer of Kitty Litter and Tidy Cat catbox filler, along with cat food products. Lowe Industries, which had two other operations along Airport Road here, became Golden Cat in September 1990.

"We have a number of distribution points -- Houston, New Orleans, Dallas and San Antonio," said Zirkler. "But, this will be only our second manufacturing facility."

"We provide plastic bottles for a number of manufacturers," said Buckley.

Texberry officials want to start operations here later this year.

"We'll probably employ 10-12 persons to start," said Zirkler. "But, right now, we need four or five individuals who will be willing to travel six to eight weeks for training, then be flexible with their hours for machine operator positions."

The final four weeks of training will be in Germany, where they will receive "hand-on" training.

"We get our equipment from Germany," said Zirkler. "Our initial four or five people will be spending two to four weeks touring our U.S. facilities and some of our customers' facilities."

The new operation will be a seven-day a week, 24-hour a day operation.

Zirkler wants to talk with interested individuals, Additional information is available by writing Personnel Department, Texberry Container, P.O. Box 330367, Houston, Texas, 77233-0367.

The former Florsheim building was initially constructed as a 100,000-square-foot factory building for Superior Electric in 1966-67, was expanded to more than 145,000 square feet the first year, and to 217,000 square feet in two years. By 1977, the complex stretched over 270,000 square feet under roof.

Superior Electric Products Corp., a manufacturer of electrical items -- toasters, popcorn poppers, curling irons, fans, waffle irons, stoves -- closed in 1982.

Florsheim moved into the building in 1984 and remained there until last year when it closed. At that time, the building was put on the market.