Coats & Clark distribution center reopens in Albany a year after storm
Albany, Dougherty, company officials celebrate reopening of Coats & Clark distribution center
By Gypsy Crow
ALBANY — It’s a safe bet that the people of Albany and Dougherty County will never forget the devastating aftermath of the 2017 storms that changed the community forever.
In the blink of an eye, the landscape of southwest Georgia changed and hundreds of jobs were blown away with the buildings that housed them. East Albany took the brunt of the storms, and on Jan. 22, Coats & Clark lost its Albany-located distribution center, costing workers more than a hundred jobs.
However, taking advantage of its close partnership with the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission and city and county leaders, Coats & Clark has restored and reopened its distribution center.
Coats & Clark and the EDC celebrated the grand reopening Monday with a ribbon-cutting to commemorate the newly rebuilt North American distribution center, which is now running at 100 percent capacity. Coats & Clark looked at other cities and states when deciding on the best location to rebuild its distribution center, but it was the way Albany as a community came together after the storms that ultimately secured Coats & Clark’s distribution center remaining where it was.
The new facility contains 370,000 square feet of space and has provided more than 300 jobs to the Albany/Dougherty County area.
EDC President Justin Strickland, Mayor Dorothy Hubbard, Dougherty County Commission Chairman Christopher Cohilas, Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson, Georgia Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Christopher Nunn and Coats & Clark President Stephanie Leichtweis gave remarks at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“We are grateful to Cloaks & Clark for their commitment to Albany and to the Albany operations,” Hubbard said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “You could have gone anywhere in the world, and you would have been a blessing, but you chose to stay here in Albany, Georgia, and for that we say ‘Thank you’.”
Hubbard noted that Cloaks & Clark has had a presence in Albany for 71 years and has now reconfirmed its commitment to the community even after the devastation brought by the 2017 storm. Hubbard also thanked all of the people involved “who made this day possible” including Coats & Clark, the EDC and the Albany-Dougherty Payroll Development Authority and the city of Albany’s Long-Term Financial Planning Committee.
“This is such an amazing day, such a special celebration with all of our teams, all of the hard work, all of the community involvement, the sacrifices from our team members for the last almost 18 months, traveling back and forth from different facilities, rebuilding, planning, collaborating,” Leichtweis said. “It has been an amazing example of teamwork and community collaboration and leadership at all levels, not just from the top.
“I’m so pleased to have the teams here to celebrate (and) my entire leadership team here to respect and appreciate all the work that’s been done and to share in this special, special moment.”
Coats & Clark’s North American distribution center employs more than 100 people in the Albany area; the manufacturing facility located at 901 Clark Ave. in Albany employs more than 200 people. Coats & Clark has had distribution and/or manufacturing facilities in Albany and Dougherty County since 1947.
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