A new manufacturing operation is set to open in Trumann (Poinsett County) in January thanks to a Delta Regional Authority grant.
Rage Fabrications, a local manufacturer that creates all-terrain and utility task vehicle accessories such as bumpers and sound bars, received $225,000 through the agency’s States’ Economic Development Assistance Program. The money, awarded in October, will be used to buy industrial equipment and make facility upgrades.
“It’s an exciting time for us,” Rage Fabrications founder Ian Samuel said. “This grant gives us the opportunity to get our feet off the ground. We’re just limited by space at this point.”
Samuel started the company less than two years ago as a side business that sold ATV and UTV accessories through Facebook. Now Samuel says Rage Fabrications, which sells exclusively online, ships merchandise all over North and Central America, though some of its strongest markets are Arkansas and Texas.
Though the business fabricates and then ships its products, Rage plans to eventually outfit ATVs and UTVs on site and design truck accessories.
The Samuel family has been in the automotive business in Trumann for more than 50 years. Ian’s Samuel’s grandfather, Austin Samuels, started Trumann Auto Service, now a third-generation family business, in the 1960s. Ian’s father joined the team after earning an engineering degree and turned the auto sales and repair business in to a specialty repair shop. Now, Ian Samuel has caused the business to evolve again.
“I’m excited to be able to create jobs for our community and to do something new,” he said. “I’ve been working on cars for a long time, so having the opportunity to start Rage Fabrications gives me a fresh start too.”
As part of the grant award, the company is committed to establishing 10 new local jobs within the next year. These jobs will include skilled metal manufacturing positions such as welding, cutting and installation. According to Trumann Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Neal Vickers, that number could easily reach more than 20 jobs as product demand grows. Vickers believes that each position will circulate an additional $10,000 annually within the local economy.
“We’re really grateful to the DRA for the investment,” Vickers said. “We shouldn’t have any problem filling the positions. Since we’re only 5.3 miles from Jonesboro’s city limits, we are able to draw from the same 11-county area. We’re fortunate to draw from the same labor shed.”
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