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Looking at ERCO Worldwide
By Terry Richards
was changed to ERCO WorldWide in 2003 following a
Jeff Fulp started with ERCO Worldwide’s Valdosta
sale to the Canadian firm Superior Propane. The mother
plant in 1996, when the facility first opened.
company of ERCO and the propane division is the Su-
“We were the first company out here in the Perime-
perior Plus Corp., headquartered in Toronto.
ter East Industrial Park,” he said.
In the years since, Fulp has worked his way up from
Superior Plus has plants in Chile, Canada and the
commercial manager to plant manager of the chemical
United States, according to the company’s website.
facility at 5700 Hunt Road.
While some of the Canadian plants ship interna-
ERCO’s Valdosta plant is in the paper business, al-
tionally, most of the Valdosta plant’s output is marketed
though not directly. The facility produces sodium chlo-
in the southeastern U.S., Fulp said.
rate, a chemical used by paper mills to whiten paper. It
The Valdosta plant employs about 30 workers, all
is ERCO’s sole Valdosta product, Fulp said.
salaried, with a payroll of about $3 million, he said.
The plant was built in Valdosta for a number of
“We are one of the top wage groups in Lowndes
reasons, he said.
County,” he said.
Among them:
The ERCO
Electricity.
plant has a good
“We use a
environmental
lot of power,”
safety record,
Fulp said, and a
Fulp said.
major electrical
“We’ve had
trunk line for
no issues of a
Georgia and
reportable type
Florida runs
in 23 years,” he
nearby.
said. “There have
“The right
been no major
piece of property
safety incidents.”
was available,
Employees
and there was
attend safety
A peek at the sodium chlorate processing
a good work
meetings daily,
lines at ERCO Worldwide’s Valdosta plant.
force,” he said.
Fulp said.
The land
The
came through a
company likes to
deal with the Valdosta-Lowndes County Development
recruit internally if it can, but will look outside the firm
Authority, and a number of tax incentives were offered.
in the local community as well, he said.
“Government officials and chamber members were
“We just hired a new chemist, a Valdosta State
easy to work with,” Fulp said.
University graduate,” he said. “He replaced a 24-year
The sodium chlorate process also uses a “consider-
veteran. ... There’s very little turnover; we have men who
able” amount of water; the plant uses both private wells
can say they’ve been here 15, 20 years.”
There are no expansion plans at present for ERCO
and city water supplies, he said.
The company was originally known as Sterling Pulp
in Valdosta, but “that can change tomorrow,” Fulp said.
Chemicals when the Valdosta plant was built; the name
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