Excel Boats has settled into its new building and anticipates an expansion in both workforce and production as a result of the much-needed extra space.
Owned by Stone County, the new facility was funded by contributions from Excel, state and federal economic loans secured through White River Planning & Development (WRPD).
A public open house sponsored by Excel Boats, Mountain View Chamber of Commerce, and WRPD is planned for Friday, Feb. 14, beginning at 2 p.m. in the new facility. There will be a ribbon cutting, remarks by several speakers, and refreshments. Production will be halted so all employees can attend the event.
As of last Thursday, Excel had 86 employees, although that number changes often, according to Mellissa Kirby. Kirby is office, human resources, and dealer services manager for the company.
“I think just this week along, we’ve hired upwards of eight production workers, and we have 10 available positions now,” Kirby said.
In addition to the regular day shift, Excel employs a smaller night shift dedicated to the more time-consuming portions of boat building.
“Our goal is 25 boats per week,” Kirby said. This means 25 boats constructed from start to finish, “25 per department, per week.”
“That’s our current production goal, and we hope to increase that to 35.”
The additional space afforded by the new building will definitely help, she said.
“We were completely packed in at the small facility. We had outgrown our original facility.”
Excel began the expansion into the new building in October.
See the full story in the Feb. 5 issue.
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