Perry County's low jobless rate comes mainly from a growing corporate sector

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Perry County has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Southeast Missouri. In June, the area's unemployment rate was 5.2 percent, compared to the state's average of 6.8 percent, according to the latest data.

"Historically, Perry County has always been very low [in unemployment rates]. We fluctuate between 4 to 5 1/2 percent," said Scott Sattler, executive director of the Perry County Economic Development Authority. "It's been pretty consistent; it just depends on the time of year."

One of the reasons the rate is low is likely because of the large manufacturing plants in the county seat of Perryville. Corporations such as Gilster-Mary Lee, TG Missouri and Sabreliner all have hubs in the area.

"It just gives us a diverse industrial base because we have the automotive industry, the food industry and the airline industry," Sattler said. "They're great companies for our community because they continue to see the value in Perry County and Perryville to grow their business."

The most recent growth is taking place at TG Missouri, owned by Toyoda Gosei, a Japanese company that makes automobile components. Its main manufacturing plant is in Perryville and employs 1,200 people, with plans to hire more.

TG Missouri, working with Kelly Services employment agency, will hire about 60 new people before March, said TG Missouri Human Resources specialist Kent Nelson.

One of the main reasons for the hiring is TG Missouri is building a fourth chrome line. The line is set to be in operation by December, and employees will mold steering wheels and assemble items such as glove boxes, front consoles and chrome features.

However, these aren't the only positions being filled.

An employee exits TG Missouri, Tuesday, July 22, 2014, in Perryville. (Laura Simon)

"Areas that new job candidates are being hired for at TGMO include chrome, paint, air bag inflaters and plant maintenance," Nelson said in an email.

TG Missouri is looking for 30 production operators and is using new incentives to find the best employees with five or more years experience in the manufacturing industry.

The expansion of the Perryville facility will house a chrome line for the auto parts manufacturer. A large corporate presence is cited for Perry County's low unemployment rate compared to Missouri's average. (Laura Simon)

Nelson said that means those employees will begin with an hourly wage of $12.50, rather than what temporary members earn, which is minimum wage. The company also is looking to rehire employees who left up to a year ago on good terms.

Nelson said TG Missouri is searching within 15 miles of the company, so nearby Missouri towns such as Farmington, Bollinger, Fredericktown and Ste. Genevieve are prime areas for its employee search.

Sattler also said Perryville pulls employees from all over Southern Illinois and Southeast Missouri.

"It's a very positive impact; [the businesses] put our citizens to work and also bring [resources] outside our community into our economy to help our local economy with gas and the restaurants and those kinds of things," Sattler said.

TG Missouri also recently annexed 172 acres purchased three years ago. It is at this location the 72,000-square-foot chrome line is being built, as well as many future projects the company plans.

"We are currently working with a Japanese expert and the Missouri Department of Conservation on a land improvement campaign involving tree-planting, etc., that will be good for both TG Missouri and the community at large," Nelson said.

Another business in Perryville, Sabreliner Corp., manufactures aviation parts and refurbishes helicopters and airplanes.

In January, it underwent several management changes. The company laid off about 230 employees between its facilities in Perryville, Ste. Genevieve and Clayton, Missouri.

"Sabreliner was actually bought out by a new investment group, so it's a totally new company now," Sattler said. "And they're just in the rebuilding phase right now."

Since Sabreliner Services began operating the new company, it has hired back more than 100 employees. Sattler said the Perryville location employs about 60 people now.

Perryville is the main location of Sabreliner's operating facilities. It is based at the Perryville Municipal Airport, which has a 7,000-foot runway and a dozen buildings with more than 200,000 square feet. According to Sabreliner's website, this location is the company's largest and most comprehensive maintenance and repair facility.

The third company, Gilster-Mary Lee, is a leading private label food manufacturer, with its headquarters in Chester, Illinois. Between its truck garage, general warehousing and trailer lot, it employs 1,100 people in Perryville, almost a third of the company's employees, according to its website.

There are two Gilster-Mary Lee plants in Perryville -- the baking mix plant and the cereal plant. Together, the buildings take up 310,000 square feet.

In 2012, Forbes magazine reported nearly one in three workers in Perryville work at one of these large corporations, and Sattler agrees those numbers hold true today.

smaue@semissourian.com

388-3644

Pertinent address:

TG Missouri, 2200 Plattin Road, Perryville, Missouri