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ROME, Ga. (AP) - A company that manufactures flooring products is planning to renovate two facilities in northwestern Georgia and create more than 400 new jobs, Gov. Nathan Deal announced Wednesday.
Calhoun-based Mohawk industries is planning to invest $85 million in the renovation of two facilities in Rome and Dalton over the next two years. The company manufactures several flooring products including carpet, rugs, ceramic tile, stone, wood, laminate and vinyl.
The company is converting the two facilities from yarn spinning plants to keep up with growing demand, Deal said.
The renovation effort is expected to create 420 new jobs at the facility in Dalton and preserve 230 jobs at the company's plant in Rome, officials said.
"Mohawk's presence here has been a magnet for flooring suppliers and customers, and this expansion reflects the resilience of an industry that supplies more than half of the world's carpet and rugs," Deal said.
The expansions are expected to begin in 2014, said Mohawk Senior Vice President of advanced manufacturing engineering, Joe Yarbrough.
"As the U.S. economic recovery gains traction, Mohawk is increasing manufacturing capacity to meet rising demand for the company's premium soft carpets," he said.
Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Brian Anderson said the expansions are also a sign of an improving economy and a rebound in the housing market.
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