Nearly a year after the Riverview Industrial Park in Erwin was wiped off the map by the historic flooding brought on by Hurricane Helene, state officials have given three companies money to rehire workers.
Three companies in Unicoi County ‒ Foam Products, PlastiExports and PolyPipe ‒ will split more than $4 million in grant money from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. The businesses are in the preliminary stages of reopening after the disaster and will invest a combined $40 million to rebuild.
Foam Products, PlastiExports and PolyPipe were selected through a grant application process.
Impact Plastics, another company in the park where six workers died in the flooding, did not apply for the grant. The company and others at the Riverview Industrial Park are either receiving assistance from other state departments, insurance payments or no funding at all, according to Austin Finch, executive director for Unicoi County Economic and Community Development.
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development typically provides grants for companies adding positions and jobs, but the devastation these businesses faced led department leaders and the governor's office to think outside the box.
“You’ve all decided to stay here, to live in this community and work for these companies, and we wanted to play a small part in helping you make those decisions and see you thrive as well,” Commissioner Stuart McWhorter said during an Aug. 22 news conference in Erwin. “You all have been through a lot, and we hope that we don’t go through this again.”
About Erwin Riverview Industrial Park businesses
Three companies are getting a combined $4 million boost from the state to retrain workers after Hurricane Helene:
Foam Products is a fabricator and distributor of commercial and industrial foam insulation. Helene and its flooding caused approximately $20 million in damage. The company is retaining 47 positions and investing $4.4 million.
PlastiExports is headquartered in Mexico and focuses on custom injection molding. The company reports more than $14 million in damages. The company is retaining 53 positions and investing $7.4 million.
PolyPipe specializes in manufacturing pipes used by utilities to deliver natural gas to customers across the country. The company, whose building was completely destroyed during Helene, is retaining 66 positions and investing $27.1 million.
“I know there are more needs, and we’re talking to all of you and the local leadership about how we can continue to be supportive," McWhorter said. "It’s going to continue to be a long road to recovery, but today is a good first step toward that.”
The Riverview Industrial Park is a few hundred feet from the Nolichucky River and is also home to Allstates Building Systems, BlueLinx, BWXT Purchasing, Old Hickory Buildings, Preston Tool & Mold and Roan Industries.
"Every business down here has plans to come back," said Finch, the county's executive director for economic and community development.
What Erwin business leaders said about Tennessee grant
“Today, I firmly believe that we are stronger than ever because of the resilience of this community and because of the assistance of the public around us. This grant is more than funding. It’s a lifeline rebuilt. It’s a lifeline recovered.” – Michael Fick, director of operations at PolyPipe
“I want the businesses to open, and I really appreciate the help to do that. But more than anything ... I want to see us come together even more to make sure that we give the people who choose to live in Unicoi County a better way of life.” - JP Metcalf, Tennessee business leader for PlastiExport
“If you had asked me a year ago, I wouldn't even say with any confidence that we would be able to recover. But now, we're committed to the recovery. We have a plan. We have employees that have stayed with us. Instead of operating the machine, they've operated shovels and wheelbarrows and shovels and everything else ... which is a testament to the type of people we have in this community. So, we're going to forge ahead.” – Perry Muse, vice president of manufacturing/GM, Foam Products
Impact Plastics cleared of wrongdoing during floods
The announcement comes just more than a month after District Attorney Steve Finney determined Impact Plastic’s leaders would not be held legally responsible for their employees' deaths during the flooding.
Finney said he made the decision after a monthslong investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation found no criminal wrongdoing. No charges will be filed in the case, and the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cleared the company of fault.
The investigation showed Impact Plastics owner Gerald O'Connor dismissed employees Sept. 27 with enough time and when there were "available paths of evacuation." The report showed employees had from 10:51 a.m. until 12:06 p.m. to get out and away from floods.
The findings contradict what many employees told Knox News in the days and weeks following the floods − that managers wouldn’t allow them to leave until it was too late. The company has denied it forced employees to stay as floodwaters rose.
The employees died after taking refuge on the back of a semitruck trailer at PolyPipe USA next door. The truck was inundated with water from the overwhelmed Nolichucky River and eventually flipped, sweeping away the employees.
The family of Impact Plastics floor manager Johnny Peterson has sued the company, and more lawsuits are expected to be filed in the coming months.
Tyler Whetstone is an investigative reporter focused on accountability journalism. Email: [email protected]; X: @tyler_whetstone.
Keenan Thomas reports for the Knox News business growth and development team. You can reach him by email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee companies devastated by Hurricane Helene get grants to rehire
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