Tiger Truck opens new headquarters
Posted on Friday, August 1, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Business/233017/
POTEAU, Okla. — The assembly of four-cylinder, offroad trucks brought hundreds of people together Thursday at the border town of Poteau, Okla., 30 miles from Fort Smith.
Tiger Truck LLC executives rolled out the red carpet for visitors at its new headquarters on Tiger Drive. The company celebrated a year-long expansion that combined the talents of American and Chinese automotive experts. The projected $ 25 million investment in the four-building manufacturing hub promises to create up to 300 jobs over the next three years, Tiger spokemen said. Poteau, with a population of about 8, 500 people, is the seat of LeFlore County, which has a population of about 49, 000.
Local officials say privately held Tiger Trucks could become the county’s third-largest employer behind OK Industries, a poultry processor, and Bremner Inc., a cracker and cookie manufacturer.
Tiger Truck currently employs about 89 people, who work in various departments such as assembly, fabrication and paint and bodywork.
About 10 workers are Arkansans, said Pam Albert, Tiger’s director of human resources. The company will hire a couple of workers from Cargill Inc. ’s shuttered Booneville plant, Albert added.
In March, the plant that employed about 800 workers closed after a fire gutted the poultry processing plant. Booneville is about an hour to the east of Poteau.
The Tiger crew has been assembling about five “Champ” trucks a day since manufacturing started less than a year ago in Poteau, said Jeff Flickinger, who oversees manufacturing. He spent 31 years with General Motors.
The expanding plant will export 80 percent of its production to Mexico and South America, according to a news release. Construction for a supply warehouse between Tiger’s final assembly and fabrication and body shop is under way.
The two- and four-door flatbed trucks can carry up to 3, 200 pounds and feature a bed free of wheel wells. They are marketed to get as much as 45 miles per gallon and targeted for farmers and other niche applications.
These trucks “are what Americans need right now, ’’ Flickinger said, referring to high prices found at the gas pump.
The 9-year-old business offers several truck models but assembles only one, the Champ, at its Poteau location.
Tiger Truck distributes its product through about 16 dealerships across the United States, according to its Web site.
The trucks are designed by Chongging ChangAn Automobile Co. Ltd., China’s third-largest vehicle manufacturer, a Tiger news release stated.
Tiger formerly distributed product from Dallas, where Michael C. Ward, Tiger’s founder and chief executive officer, established the business in 1999.
The veteran automotive executive said he launched the venture after he sold a defunct, 10-year-old engine manufacturing company.
“ This is the first American manufacturer of a vehicle with a Chinese heritage, ’’ he said.
The marketing buzz surrounding Tiger Truck has given Poteau newfound recognition from as far away as Key West, Fla., said Davie Spindle, with Poteau’s office of economic development.
Ever since the truck manufacturer arrived in town, Poteau’s Web site has seen an increase in traffic, Spindle said.
“ In economic development, you’re looking for this kind of exposure,” he said.
LeFlore County’s unemployment rate for June was 5. 2 percent, down from 5. 5 percent for the same period last year. Oklahoma’s unemployment rate for June was 4. 2 percent, while Arkansas’ rate stood at 5. 3 percent.
Spindle said the new plant will reverse the commute for a small percentage of county residents who now travel to Arkansas for employment. About 6, 000 people from Le-Flore County head over the border to Sebastian County, he said. Fort Smith, the second-largest city in Arkansas, has lost some of its manufacturing business and Poteau is now getting a few of those workers, Poteau Mayor Jeff Shockley said after official remarks. “The road runs both ways,” he said.
To contact this reporter: lwhalen@arkansasonline. com