~ Rubbermaid moved some work that had been done overseas to the United States.

Rubbermaid, which had laid off about 250 employees over the last 18 months, has added 24 new positions, thanks to a new piece of equipment and transferring some of its overseas business to its Jackson plant.

"It's a sign that the shelving business is strong and that the company wants to invest more into the Jackson facility," said Bill Cofield, Rubbermaid's director of operations.

Twenty-four jobs may not sound like much, but it's a definite change in momentum for the company. The local Rubbermaid plant makes wood and metal closet organizers.

"We had to exit some unprofitable business," said Cofield, who was hired in 2003 to cut back on operating expenses. "We had to walk away from some of our retail business like Lowe's and Home Depot. It just wasn't as profitable for us."

The new employees took their jobs over the last month, Cofield said.

The new piece of equipment means that products that were being shipped here for painting can now be manufactured and painted here, which saves overseas shipping costs, Cofield said.

The work had been done in Canada and China. Cofield it is also often less expensive to make the products in the United States. The local plant now has about 450 workers, which is still down from its original 760.

Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce president John Mehner said it shows that Rubbermaid -- once rumored to be closing -- still has a strong commitment to its local plant.

"The news is awesome," Mehner said. "It looks like they're on an upswing."

In order for a business to stay profitable, it needs to stay lean. Unfortunately, sometimes that calls for layoffs. But it's impressive, Mehner said, to see that Rubbermaid is starting to see some growth.

"Hopefully, we'll see more of it," Mehner said.

smoyers@semissourian.com

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