Surry Business

Bodet & Horst will expand its U.S. operations into Surry County in the coming month.

The company is leasing space at 640 Riverside Drive in Mount Airy where it plans to invest $1.2 million to $1.8 million in machinery and equipment. The company will hire 10 employees initially.

Bodet & Horst produces knitted fire barriers for mattress manufacturers. The company utilizes computerized knitting machines and state-of-the-art robotics technology. The German company has operated a plant in High Point, N.C., since 2004. It now employs 65 people.

Citing this growth, Robin Rhyne, president of the Surry County Economic Development Partnership, said, “We believe that this company has the potential to grow and hire many more people in the near future.”

Jerry Pratt, president of Bodet & Horst, says the availability of experienced workforce in Surry County was a factor in the decision to locate the expansion here.

Pratt, who lives in Surry County, is familiar with the skill sets in the local labor market. He worked with the Surry County Economic Development Partnership and Mount Airy municipal officials for several months to find a suitable building for Bodet & Horst’s expansion.

Mount Airy City Manager Donald Brookshire said, “We are excited to have the company select Mount Airy. They represent the utilization of the workforce in a manner that benefits our community. It is a good fit for our citizens.”

Both the Mount Airy city commissioners and Surry’s county commissioners approved performance-based tax incentives to help Bodet & Horst establish the Mount Airy operations.