Dura-Line Plant Doubling in Size

By James Beaty
Senior Editor

The Dura-Line plant in McAlester plans to increase in size from 40,000 to 80,000 square feet.
Plant Manager David Leeper said the expansion is expected to be completed within four months and will result in significant job creation over the next two-to-three years.

“It’s going to be a big opportunity” for more employees to work at the plant, which has been operating in McAlester for less than a year.
The plant manufactures conduit for the telecommunication and power industries, Leeper said.
He expected dirt work on the project to begin as early as today.
“It will take from 90 to 120 days to do the expansion,” he said.
The McAlester plant currently has 51 employees and plans on eventually adding more over the next three years until the total reaches 93, he said.

In addition to the building expansion, Leeper said the parking lot and pipe yard at the plant will be paved and a new loading dock and gravel lot will be added along with the new building.

Leeper said McAlester businessman Francis Stipe is constructing the building.
“We will lease it,” he said.

Leeper attributed the McAlester plant’s success to several factors.

“Locale is one and the work crews we have are doing an exceptional job,” he said.

“We haven’t had any customer complaints and we’ve produced close to 6,000 miles of pipe,” Leeper said. “We’re doing exceptionally well.”
Dura-Line started its McAlester operation at the Steven W. Taylor Industrial Park last July to serve the company’s customers in the Southwest.

McAlester got the nod for the new plant after considering several factors, according to the company.
Dura-Line credited the owner of the facility, AOK Railroad, the McAlester Foundation and the McAlester Economic Development Service as being instrumental in making it happen.

The cooperation Dura-Line received from the local business community proved to be a significant factor in the decision to expand the McAlester facility, instead of opening an additional location in Texas, according to Leeper.

“The McAlester plant continues to be a success story for the corporation,” Leeper said. “The credit can be given to the local government, local community and the dedicated employees of the plant.”

Anyone interested in applying to work at Dura-Line can contact Deelynn Hall at 302-0330, according to Leeper.

The Dura-Line Corp., headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., and the Arnco Corp., based in Elyria, Ohio, were recently acquired by the Audax Corp., a Boston-based private equity company.

Both Dura-Line and Arnco manufacture and distribute extruded high-density polyethylene duct, pipe, and conduit products for the telecommunications industry, as well as for power utility, electrical and cable markets.

The new merged company will be named A-D Technologies, and both Dura-Line and Arnco will operate as divisions within the company. Robert F. Smith, the former owner and chief executive officer of Arnco and Paresh Chari, the former chief executive officer of Dura-Line, will continue to lead the combined company.

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