PRESCOTT – Firestone Building Products’ Prescott plant is celebrating a half-century in operation. The plant manufactures roofing membrane, flashing and seam tape, and is the largest employer in Nevada County with 654 employees.
Originally constructed by Robbin’s Floor Products in 1964, the Prescott plant was purchased by Firestone Industrial Products in 1970 to house manufacturing of automotive radiators and train brake hoses. In 1983, it was converted to manufacture RubberGard EPDM roofing materials under Firestone Building Products and has since undergone expansions each decade growing from its original 142,000 square feet to 710,000 square feet today.
“The Prescott Firestone Building Products Plant has been a fixture in the Southwest Arkansas community since its establishment, and we are proud of our dedicated team who work hard every day to provide quality products for our customers,” said Kevin Ward, Prescott plant manager. “This historic milestone would not be possible without the commitment to excellence of our employees, as well as the ongoing support of our customers, the local community and state of Arkansas.”
Over its 50-year history, the plant has received numerous awards for safety performance and achieved over 1 million man-hours without a lost-time accident on several occasions from the Arkansas Department of Labor (ADOL). Also, the Prescott plant achieved 1 million hours without an OSHA recordable injury in 2014. The Firestone Building Products team is an active part of the local Prescott community, including organizing coordinated efforts to support the regional food bank, FoodShare Arkansas, and local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts troops, among other community programs.
“I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to current and former employees at the Firestone Building Products plant in Prescott, Arkansas for their ongoing contributions in service to our customers in the roofing industry,” said Taylor Cole, president of Firestone Building Products. “Firestone Building Products is recognized as a leading source for contractors and roofing professionals, and this is in part a testament to the quality and excellence in manufacturing exemplified by teams like the one at Prescott.”
Lewis Diggs, president of the Southwest Arkansas Regional Intermodal Authority, (SWARIA), offered this comment, “On behalf of Southwest Arkansas Regional Intermodal Authority. I would like to congratulate Firestone for 50 years of success. They have been a cornerstone for the economy in south Arkansas. They have not only created jobs, but hired workers from many counties. This allowed monies to be spent, by the workers, in their home counties and boost their local economies. I hope SWARIA can help them grow and be successful for another 50 years.” Nevada County is a SWARIA member, with Firestone being the group’s first effort to retain and see a company expand their operations a few years ago.
Best view i have ever seen !