MUNFORDVILLE, Ky, (WBKO) — Hollander Sleep Product has made its way to Hart County and is teaming up with Walmart to keep jobs in the United States. In a celebration and tour, the facility welcomed government officials and workers to announce the new partnership and celebrate the manufacturing expansion.
During the ceremony, Charlie Miller, the Production Manager, spoke on his journey with the company. He got emotional with gratitude for both Hollander and Walmart.
“I turned this into a career and made something of myself,” Miller said, as he wiped away tears.
Hollander has moved its production from Chinese competitors to Munfordville, Kentucky, creating 70 jobs in the area and producing 500,000 more mattress pads each year.
“They don’t have to travel to Louisville, Nashville, or Bowling Green,” said John Trousdale, Plant Manager. “They can just stay closer to home.”
In the American Jobs Initiative, Walmart has been granted an additional $250 billion to buy American-based products to support more American jobs by 2023.
“By keeping jobs in America, I was able to take a job, where I didn’t know what to do, and make a career out of it,” Miller said. He reflected on his journey a lot throughout the day, and remembers the hard days, leading to the good.
“It was the worst and hardest job I had ever done,” Miller told 13 News. In the end, he was glad he stuck with it.
Walmart saw investing in a manufacturing company in Munfordville, was worth it, and is keeping the commitment to invest in quality American products alive.
“I think the work here is an illustration of that commitment,” Walmart’s spokesperson Kevin Thompson said.
Hart County workers are proud.
See the story and video here that originally aired on http://www.wbko.com/content/news/Sleep-product-manufacturer-comes-to-Munfordville-creating-jobs-and-better-sleep-for-people-457834343.html