YOUNGSTOWN Former Tartan workers get first dibs on jobs

THE VINDICATOR, YOUNGSTOWN
Former Tartan Textile workers will be interviewed first when a renovated laundry plant opens.
By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR
YOUNGSTOWN -- A Michigan company moving into the former Tartan Textile laundry on Belmont Avenue plans to complete an expansion by February and begin hiring workers.
About 60 workers will be hired, with former Tartan workers getting the first crack at interviews because of their experience, said Bob Bline-bury, regional vice president of Domestic Uniform Rental of Farmington Hills.
These workers will join about 40 employees, giving the plant nearly 100 workers.
Blinebury said the company has the names of former Tartan workers, and many have stopped by the plant and said they are interested in interviews. Domestic Uniform Rental announced its plans for a Youngstown plant last summer.
The company bought one of the two Youngstown plants that Tartan closed in March. About 250 people lost their jobs.
No interest: Tartan laundered uniforms and floor mats for area industrial plants, schools, restaurants and hotels. It said it was no longer interested in its Youngstown operations because it wanted to focus on its core business of laundering items for health-care facilities.
Houston-based Tartan sold its business accounts in this region to a group of nine companies, who are servicing those accounts out of their existing facilities.
Blinebury said Domestic Uniform Rental needs another laundry because the company is expanding. Its laundry in Detroit now handles accounts in this region but it has no more room for growth, he said.
The company has been using a service depot in Liberty that has offices for sales representatives, but it will close when the production plant is ready.
Nearly 40 sales representatives who already work in the region for Domestic Uniform Rental will be based at the Youngstown plant when construction is complete. Accounts from Cleveland, Akron and Columbus, as well as those in the Youngstown area, will be handled at the Youngstown plant.
The company has demolished part of the laundry and is building an addition about the same size.
This will be Domestic Uniform Rental's ninth production building nationwide. It provides industrial laundry service to about 60 major cities.
shilling@vindy.com