(photo by Jake Carter/thepolkfishwrap.com)
Robert Gootman, of Florence, S.C., said the building was purchased by his limited liability corporation, Cedarburg Rigging LLC. Gootman also operates Lion Chemical Laboratories Inc. in Florence. The plastic recycling program was going to be a separate concern, with a name and other details to be decided later.
“We were looking at doing plastic recycling there,” Gootman said. “It was a great building for it. It’s near Atlanta and the city there said they don’t have any plastic recycling going on.”
The 102,000-square-foot building, located at 100 Adamson Road, appeared to be a complete loss. Firefighters from Cedartown, Rockmart and county departments spent more than five hours Monday putting out the blaze.
Cedartown Fire and Rescue Chief Sammy Stephens said crews clearing out the building apparently cut through a metal pipe with a blowtorch. The pipe contained grease or oil, which appears to have been residue from the building’s former use as a processor of meat and meat products.
Gootman said he does not have immediate plans for the building site, but plans to travel to Cedartown this week to survey the damage. He said the building was not insured.
The building has been empty for nearly three years. Cincinnati-based Pierre Foods Inc. shut down the plant with a Feb. 8, 2008 announcement to employees and the community. The plant had employed 153 people.
In a statement, Pierre Foods said the decision to close the plan was difficult but necessary due to business conditions. Pierre Foods filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2008, but announced in December that year that it had emerged from bankruptcy.
Tools and machinery were sold at auction on July 23, 2009. Cedarburg Rigging LLC then bought the building and the approximately 20-acre site.
The nearby Zar Tran Trucking Company, which had been a part of Zartic Corp., was separately sold to Logistic Services Trucking Company of Ohio on April 15, 2009.
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