Newell Rubbermaid is one of Georgia’s biggest recruitment success stories, at least in terms of jobs delivered.
The maker of Sharpie pens, Rubbermaid totes and Calphalon cookware was once a troubled conglomerate that flocked south from Illinois starting in 2003 as part of a corporate restructuring.
But as the company regained its financial footing, it managed to meet the job creation goals of its first REBA grant, and triple the jobs promised of its second.
In 2004, the company benefited from $400,000 in REBA funds after it promised to create a training center and create or retain 75 jobs in Georgia, as well as invest $9 million in its own money. The promises were fulfilled.
In 2007, the company was awarded an additional $250,000 in REBA grants for office furniture for its new 14-story headquarters in Sandy Springs. The company promised a $90 million investment and to produce 300 jobs. The company ultimately delivered 895, state records indicate.
Today, Newell Rubbermaid has nearly 1,000 employees at its headquarters complex, according to a company spokeswoman.
Still, those jobs didn’t come without additional costs. State documents indicate Newell Rubbermaid was eligible for about $11.2 million in state and local incentives, including jobs tax credits, for its sleek new headquarters. That figure likely is to have been eclipsed because it produced more than three times the 300 jobs it promised.
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