The new compounding facility is built on the 61-acre site where a custom mixing facility was run by Hoover-Hanes until it filed for bankruptcy for the second time in 2004, Cash said. Robbins L.L.C. purchased the facility out of bankruptcy and ran it from 2004 until it was acquired by Hexpol A.B. in 2012. The plant was shuttered and eventually torn down. The site itself was under the ownership of the Development Authority of Haralson County.
"The site was sitting here vacant, and the developmental authority was really looking for a tenant," Cash said. "We were looking at a couple other locations in the southeast. We decided to come back here because the developmental authority gave us a really good incentive program with tax abatements and so on."
The company purchased the site from the Haralson County Development Authority for $420,000, and the Tallapoosa Development Authority contributed $26,000 to the purchase.
Another reason for choosing the Tallapoosa location came from its long history with Robbins and Hoover-Hanes, creating a pool of talent in local workers.
"There were a lot of experienced rubber associates that were in the area," Cash said. "Even though we were a brand new company, we have more than 250 years of mixing experience among our whole group."
Cash, himself, has 35 years of experience in the industry, starting in 1982 when he began work with Associated Rubber Co. He moved on to Kardoes Rubber Co. in 1992, and left in 2004 to serve as the vice president and general manager of the Tallapoosa plant for Robbins. He went back to Kardoes in 2007 as the company's president, and stayed there until 2014, when he went to work for one of its customers in a development capacity.
Barco incorporated in December 2015, with investors who were looking for more control over formulations and pricing for molded parts, Cash said. After looking at options, the group decided to build in 2016. Barco produces compounds for its investors, and also is doing custom mixing for other customers as well.
