Ecore International is planning a $25.5 million plant in Ozark, Ala. (Alabama Department of Commerce)

Pennsylvania-based Ecore International has announced plans for a $25.5 million manufacturing and recycling plant in Ozark.

Ecore will purchase an existing building and make flooring and surfacing products from used truck tires. The project is expected to create 84 jobs, with an average annual salary of almost $42,500.

The largest converter of reclaimed rubber in North America, Ecore specializes in using reclaimed materials to make high-performance flooring and surface products. Its largest raw material is scrap truck tires, and its biggest markets are nursing homes, hotels, fitness centers, recreation centers, retailers and schools.

Gov. Kay Ivey, in a statement, called the project a “great addition for Alabama’s business community.”

“This project in Ozark will bring good manufacturing jobs to the citizens there and spark new opportunities throughout the region,” she said.

Ecore CEO Art Dodge said the company has transformed more than 2 billion pounds of rubber waste into “surfaces that make people’s lives better.”

“All Ecore manufacturing facilities are certified ‘Zero Waste,’ amplifying the company’s commitment to environmental stewardship,” Dodge said. “Ecore invests in more than its facilities — we invest in our people and in our communities because we believe that when our people and our communities prosper, we prosper.”

Ecore’s plant is one of several projects in recent years aimed at spurring growth in Alabama’s rural areas. According to the Alabama Department of Commerce, rural counties have seen projects totaling $3 billion since 2020.

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