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Tire shipper plans 75 jobs in WB — city
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · February 15, 2018
A tire and auto parts distributor plans to bring 75 jobs and fill up a half-million-square-foot warehouse in West Branch, according to the City of West Branch.
City Administrator Redmond Jones II announced the news at the Feb. 5 City Council meeting, saying U.S. AutoForce would “fill the vacant P&G warehouse,” referring to Procter & Gamble’s 513,000-square-foot building at 101 Council Street in the industrial park.
He noted the company signed a 10-year lease with P&G.
“It sounds like they will be a good neighbor to the community,” Jones said.
The news comes at the same time P&G announced it would phase out its West Branch operations over the next two-plus years, eliminating 200 jobs here.
Mayor Roger Laughlin said his research into the company led him to believe it is a “major tire and parts distributor” in the United States, and he called it “good” that U.S. AutoForce would bring 75 jobs, to partially offset the losses at P&G.
West Branch Community Development Group Executive Director Kevin Rogers said he first heard about a company interested in the empty P&G building in the fall. A broker contacted him asking about the number of union workers in town and who to contact about painting the building and updating the parking lot.
“I had no clue who was looking at occupying the building,” he said.
Like the mayor, the number of jobs coming in made the P&G news less impactful.
“It could be a win-win for some of the (P&G) employees,” he said, though he did not know how the salaries compare.
Phone calls and an e-mail to U.S. Venture and U.S. AutoForce were not returned as of press time.
U.S. AutoForce , a subsidiary of U.S. Venture, distributes aftermarket tires, parts and lubricants to oil-change and car-repair shops, according to its website. The company started in 1958 as Schmidt Tire & Muffler under the larger Schmidt Brothers company before becoming U.S. Venture.
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