Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, January 19, 1957
Big Day In Covington
A t Mobil Open House
n newest industr Y, Mobil Chemical Plastics Division,
formally dedicated its new building and facilities here Friday morning
. * > an lnt ® restin g and informative program, band concert, tour of
tne plant and a noon luncheon at the Elks Club.
Officials of the industrial giant
Mobil Oil Company, and its many
subsidiaries were on hand for
the occasion, it also marked a
blue - chip day for Covington
Mayor Walker Harris and mem
bers of the Covington City Coun
cil. Mobil is the first of three
new industries who have an
nounced that they are building in
Covington. The others are Her
cules Corporation and C. R. Bard,
Inc.
The 11 a.m. program Friday
inside the spacious 75,000 square
foot building got underway as the
colors were presented by the
Newton County Band’s color
guard. Plant Manager Gerald
Wendel was master of cere
monies for the program. Seated
at the head table were executives
of Mobil Chemical from New
York. Also Mayor Harris and
Rev. Edgar Callaway, pastor of
the First Baptist Church, who
had prominent roles in the fes
tivities.
Main speakers for the occasion
were Howard Samuels, one of the
brothers who started Mobil plas
tics in an abandoned schoolhouse
in upstate New York soon after
his discharge from the service
following World War n, and John
D. Fennebresque, the top man in
the Mobil organization. Mr.
Samuels is vice-president of Mo
bil Chemical and general man
ager of the Plastics Division.
Mr. Fennebresque is vice-presi
dent of Mobil Oil Corporation
and president of Mobil Chemical.
Mr. Samuels was granted an
eight months leave of absence in
1966 from Mobil in order that he
might make the race for Lieut
enant-Governor of New York on
the Democratic ticket. He was
narrowly beaten in the General
Election in November.
In his speech Mr. Samuels
|^^ ^nonotulations
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COVINGTON WHITE’S PORTERDALE
(Best Coverage: News, Pictures, and Features)
stressed that Mobil plastics is
interested in communities, such
as Covington, who possess the
“community spirit as shown by
officials of the city and county
in this area.”
In the introduction of Mr. Sam
uels, Gerald Wendel stated that
“at 25 years of age he was a
Lieutenant-Colonel in Gen. Geo
rge Patton’s Army.” Mr. Wen
del added, “and at the age of 31
he was the father of eight child
ren.”
Mr. Fennebresque stated at the
outset of his speech that “Cov
ington and Georgia is a good place
to work and live.” Then he gave
a history of the phenomenal gro
wth of Mobil Chemical and the
plastic industry.
Also, of much interest locally,
the Mobil official told of plans
to build another building near the
present structure. It will house
the facilities for the manufacture
of foam products. (Another art
icle is carried in The NEWS
today giving particulars concern
ing the announcement).
Mr. Fennebresque said that by
the end of 1968 there would be
some 300 employees of Mobil in
the two Covington facilities. At
present time some 100 workers
are employed at the Covington
plant which was dedicated Friday.
♦* * *
MOBIL NOTES AT OPEN HOUSE:
Covington Mayor Walker Har
ris, in his welcome speech Fri
day, said that the dedication of the
plant “is the fulfillment of a
personal dream for me.” He
expressed his appreciation to the
Mobil officials for selecting Cov
ington for future operations.
** * *
Some 100 business and profes
sional people of Covington and
Newton County were invited to the
dedication program Friday
morning, which started at 11 a.m.
The Mobil firm was host at a
noon Smorgasbord luncheon at
the Elks Club. This affair was
attended by most of the people
who made the tour of the plant
following the program.
** * ♦
The Newton Blue Rambler Band
furnished music for the occasion,
prior to the 11 a.m. ceremony
and program. Draped behind the
band was a huge red banner on
polyethylene sheets which read:
“Welcome, Mobil Chemical
Plastics Division, Covington
Plant.”
♦* ♦ *
The familiar trade name of
Mobil was stressed throughout
the plant and was on the souvenir
cigarette lighters given the visi
tors on Friday morning. Visitors
who came to see the plant on
Saturday received key chains and
samples of products produced in
Covington.
** * ♦
One of the expressions used
in the publicity for Mobil plas
tics is this: “some businesses
start on a shoestring—this one
started with a clothesline.” The
reference was to the Samuels
brothers who started their plas
tics business in an abandoned
schoolhouse in upstate New York,
where their first product was a
clothesline.
♦♦ ♦ *
People going through the plant
were amazed to see the long
lines of bags extending into fin
ished laundry bags and hospital
receptacle liners. And, all from
small pellets of polyethylene.
** * *
One of the Mobil officials said
that the Covington plant would
use (this year) more polyethy
lene than was used in the United
States in the entire year of 1946.
♦♦ ♦ ♦
Talking about the giant oak
from the small acorn, the plas-
tics industry is literally out of
this world in its plans in com
parison.
Examples of the broad range of
products produced and industries
served include:
- Laundry and drycleaning
bags and film
- Plastic bags for pre-pack
aging produce, poultry and
retail bakery products
- Heavy gauge film for the
construction industry
- Plastic agricultural mulch
- Meat film for grocery pre
packaging
- Heavy duty bags for chem
icals and fertilizers
- Can liners for hospitals, food
service and other industrial
uses
- Sandwich and food storage
bags on a roll, sold under
the “Baggies” trademark
The fast-growing Consumer
Plastics Department markets an
assortment of products for con
sumer use through super
markets, drug and variety chains,
hardware stores and other re
tail outlets. Sold under the well
known “Kordite”, “Spotless”,
and “Holiday” brand names, ma
jor products include:
- Plastic bags, wraps, sealing
tapes and other items for
home freezing
- Rigid containers for food
storage and freezing
- Household bags for home
storage of foods and sun
dries
John D. Fennebresque, presid
ent of Mobil Chemical Company,
praised Covington in his speech
here Friday morning marking the
formal dedication of the local
Mobil Chemical plastic plant. He
also told of the history and future
plans of the Mobil organization:
“The new Covington foams
plant, which we expect to be in
operation by June, will be the
sixth Mobil Chemical manufact
uring facility in Georgia. The to
tal capital investment in Georgia
will be nearly $8,000,000.
“What you see here Is an im
portant part of Mobil Chemical
and I would like to tell you a
little about the rest of our com
pany.
“Mobil Chemical Is an opera
ting division of Mobil OH Cor
poratlon--one of the 10 largest
industrial operations In the
world. We operate In 100 Free
World countries and territories;
employing 80,600 people.
“We have more than 206,000
stockholders to whom corporat
ion pays dividends of some $l5O
million a year.
“Mobil ranks second In terms
of chemical sales among oH com
panies with chemical operations.
Mobil Chemical just six years
old. At time of Its formation,
Mobil’s chemical Interests con
sisted of specialty paint business
which generated about $8 million
In sales and an ethylene plant
under construction In Texas.
“Today, sales approximate
S4OO million a year. We op
erate or have Interests In some
70 manufacturing plants on five
continents. (As I mentioned, six
of these in state of Georgia.)
“Plants here In Covington are
part of our Plastics Division
which was built from scratch by
Howard Samuels, the man who
just spoke to you, and his brot
her, Richard. They started In
an abandoned schoolhouse In up
state New York. When the new
plant here starts up in June,
plastics division will have 8
plants from coast to coast.
Covington is the only town
In Plastics with 2 plants and Is
evidence of our faith In future
of town and people we employ
here.”
THE COVINGTON NEWS
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