G&H Decoys Inc. has moved its headquarters and manufacturing operations from Henryetta, Oklahoma, to northeast Arkansas with plans to create 77 jobs in the region, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission announced Monday.
The company is investing more than $2.1 million in the relocation to Corning, a city of about 3,200 just south of the Arkansas-Missouri state line.
Founded in the late 1940s by John J. Gazalski and J.V. Hutton, G&H has produced waterfowl decoys for eight decades. The company was acquired by Five Rivers Plastics Manufacturing of Houston in July.
G&H selected Corning as the location for its manufacturing operations due to the state’s duck hunting culture, availability of real estate and its workforce, AEDC said in a news release. Production is expected to begin Oct. 14.
The 40,000-SF facility is located inside a vacant Walmart building at 1900 W. Main St. in Corning. The company will manufacture floating duck and geese decoys, as well as full-body and shell geese decoys.
“Arkansas is the duck hunting capital of the world, so we are thrilled to welcome one of our nation’s best duck hunting outfitters to our state,” Gov. Sarah Huckabee-Sanders said in the release. “Their relocation to Corning and additional investment in Northeast Arkansas will power economic growth in the region and help grow Arkansas’ thriving outdoor recreation industry.”
G&H is looking to hire factory production technicians, painters, warehouse workers, office staff and sales staff. The company has participated in the ARise program, an AEDC initiative facilitated by Startup Junkie.
“Clay County has a rich, storied history with the waterfowl industry, and G&H Decoys is a perfect fit for this community,” Graycen Bigger, executive director of the Northeast Arkansas Regional Intermodal Authority said in the release. “This project, a testament to the opportunity rural Arkansas offers, would not be possible without the partnership of the City of Corning, Arkansas Economic Development Center and Black River Technical College.”
The state offered G&H the following incentives to relocate: Advantage Arkansas, which offers a state income tax credit for job creation based on the payroll of new, full-time, permanent employees hired as a result of the project, and Tax Back, which provides sales and use tax refunds on the purchase of building materials and taxable machinery and equipment.
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