CULLMAN, Ala. – In November of 2020, Gov. Kay Ivey announced that Homtex received $10,572,100 in Coronavirus Aid funds. Homtex Inc. has since used the aid money to expand their operation to Selma with a new facility that will be used to create personal protective equipment (PPE).
The Cullman Homtex facility began making PPE last April and has become the largest surgical mask operation in the United States. Governor Ivey visited and toured the Cullman facility today. CEO Jerry Wootten and President Jeremy Wootten accompanied the governor on the tour and informed her about the facility.
The facility designs and produces 400+ million face masks a year. Thirty-forty thousand masks are made per shift. Homtex is one of four domestic manufacturers that are FDA-certified to make ASTM levels one, two and three surgical masks. The level three masks provide the best fluid resistance and are the ones used in operating rooms. The Infirmary Medical Center in Mobile buys their masks from Homtex, who also has a contract to provide protective face masks to the federal agency responsible for the operation of the U.S. Capitol Complex in Washington, D.C.
The Governor spoke about her time at the facility, saying, “It was wonderful to be here at Homtex. I want to say congratulations to all of you for making this such a success in this neck of the woods. [Homtex] is doing great work and providing great employment for our people, and that’s what we want to do, because Alabama is open for business.”
CEO Jerry Wootten says, “We hope to have Selma up and running within a few months.” The new Selma manufacturing location wis projected to provide hundreds of new jobs.
HomTex Inc. was founded in 1987 by Jerry Wootten in Vinemont and is now headquartered in Cullman.
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