Sturm Ruger will bring new plant to Mayodan

Firearms manufacturer expects to hire as many as 500 workers

Sturm Ruger, a prominent firearms manufacturer, announced July 8 that it will move some of its manufacturing operations to the town of Mayodan in Rockingham County.

The expansion will be the first major growth for the company in 25 years. Sturm Ruger already employs more than 2,000 people at its facilities in Enfield, Conn., Newport, N.H., and Prescott, Ariz.

“We have a new product-development plan. When we have new products, we need space to expand the new line,” said Kevin Reid, a spokesman for the company who would not elaborate on what new firearms or accessories the Mayodan plant would produce.

Sturm Ruger has purchased a 220,000-square foot plant that was formerly occupied by Unifi, a textile company. The building has 194,950 square feet of manufacturing space and 26,650 square feet of administration area – and it has been empty since 2007.

The Mayodan plant ultimately could bring about 500 new jobs to the area. The company, which already is conducting job interviews, expects to hire 100 workers very quickly, then add more people in coming weeks and months. The jobs will be for mechanical engineers, skilled machinists and entry-level workers.

Rockingham County and Mayodan offered incentives to Sturm Ruger to locate in North Carolina, sources said, but details won’t be revealed until the county commissioners hold a public hearing, likely in August.

The Mayodan Town Council already has approved amendments to a town ordinance prohibiting the discharge of firearms within the town’s corporate limits.

One change allows industrial facilities to manufacture and test firearms “within an enclosed facility controlled by the manufacturer and not open to the general public as a shooting range.”

According to news reports, town manager Michael Brandt told council members the exception allows a firearms manufacturer to test products at its own facility.

“To eliminate any gray area, we felt that exception should be included here also,” Brandt said. “So this would make it clear that a manufacturer of firearms, when testing their materials, would be just like any other business testing their product before sales.”

Sturm Ruger held a job fair in June to determine if enough qualified people were in the area to work at the plant.

“We were impressed with the quality of the available work force,” Reid said.

The oldest firearms maker in the United States, Remington Arms, opened its new headquarters in Madison, Mayodan’s adjoining city, in 1996 – the year Remington entered the in-line blackpowder accessory business.