JACKSONVILLE — One business planning to relocate in Jacksonville and a local man looking to expand his business can bring  potential job opportunities for Cherokee County.

The Economic Advisory Council negotiated with two companies, Attabox of Temple and JH Wholesale Plumbing Supply, LLC of Jacksonville on Friday, and they will be presented to Jacksonville Economic Development for approval.

Formed in 2007, Attabox sells high quality engineered enclosures for industrial, solar, electrical, telecommunications, oil, gas, construction markets and more.

The company said they needed economic development assistance in relocating to Jacksonville to be closer to their primary supplier, Say Plastics, which is already located in Jacksonville.

The company sell its products across the nation and in Canada. The company plans to build a facility next to Say, estimated to be between 7,000 and 10,000 square feet.

The business currently has two full-time employees, William Evatt, executive manager, and Michael Meinscher, vice president of sales.

The advisory committee recommended $21,000 to retain six jobs and in addition, provide $3,500 per new job created up to 25 over a five-year period.

Attabox is expected to pay their employees about $18 an hour.

JH Wholesale Plumbing Supply, LLC, is owned by Julian Haddad, a 15-year Jacksonville resident.

When Don's Plumbing Supply closed down in January, Haddad purchased the company's inventory and is wanting to locate to a warehouse building off U.S. Highway 69 North, which he owns.

Haddad said economic development assistance would go toward the construction of a parking lot at the warehouse.

The advisory committee recommended $2,500 to retain one job and in addition, provide $2,500 per job created not to exceed five.

Marlene Jowell, EAC member, said when a company is given JEDCO funding, there is a process the business must go through.

“When (a company) goes through an audit, before they are provided funding, they have to hire the amount of workers they say they are going to hire and pay what they say they are going to pay,” she said. “Based on the information provided to JEDCO early on, if approved for some assistance at the time of the audit, we expect them to live up to the bargain.”

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