The Development Authority of the City of Milledgeville and Baldwin County announced the opening of a new manufacturing company in Milledgeville. This opening is the culmination of the company’s precision planning and seven months of dedicated work and collaboration between the DAMBC, the Georgia Department of Economic Development and the Georgia Department of Labor.

The new company, Chemtex, is a leading manufacturer and supplier of oil and chemical absorbents and secondary containment products and supplies in the United States. For almost two decades, the company has provided high quality materials for cleaning spills of all sizes, whether a one gallon spill on a plant floor or million gallon spill on the ocean. Chemtex played a major role supplying contractors and emergency response personnel with absorbent products throughout the catastrophic BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

“We pride ourselves on quality service that is consistent and dependable,” said Lenny Johnson, President of ChemTex. “Our products provide peace of mind and the ability for our clients to respond with the materials needed when timing is critical, no matter the size of the emergency. We are pleased with the development support received during our expansion and look forward to being a beneficial addition to this community.” More than one million dollars has already been invested in the local community as a result of this project and short term projections anticipate additional investments over the next four years with more than eighty new quality jobs being created during the same time period.

The mood was celebratory among those in attendance at Wednesday’s announcement that the new Chemtex facility will be part of the Columbia Center Complex located on Garrett Way. “I am proud to welcome Chemtex as the newest member of the community,” DAMBC Chairman Chat Daniel said. “I thank them for placing confidence in our business climate and for creating job opportunities for our community, which will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the local economy for years to come.”

Georgia Department of Economic Development Regional Project Manager, Candice Scott, supported the company on behalf of the state of Georgia, along with Jim Lovett, Regional Project Manager with Georgia Power Company.