Rohr Heber Springs

"Rohr Industries experienced so much difficulty in getting a permit for a new manufacturing plant that it gave up and moved to Arkansas. The permit that would have cost $750,000 in California cost only $750 in Arkansas" (Farah & Antonucci). 

During the last half of the 1980's "commercial aircraft orders climbed drastically." This allowed Rohr to establish two new final assembly plants in Sheridan and Heber Springs, Arkansas (Kepos, 1994). The announcement to expand came in June of 1987 (Hulewicz, June 1989). 

Rohr's Heber Springs facility, which assembled fan cowls, was completed in May of 1988, and started production in June.

By July of 1989, Rohr Heber Springs was employing 181 people (Douglass, 1993, p. C1).

By 1990, Rohr Heber Springs was engaged in final assembly for commercial programs and had 210 employees (Rohr, 1990).

By December of 1990 the Heber Springs plant was employing 233 people (Hulewicz, 1989, 1990).

By August of 1992, employment at Rohr Heber Springs had declined to 218 people, and then down to 200 people by August 1993 predicting that "payroll may shrink amid cutbacks" (Douglass, 1993, p. C1).



References:
Douglass, Elizabeth. “Rohr Still Pays for Heyday’s Decisions.” The San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Aug. 1993, p. C1, C5.
Farah & Antonucci
Hulewicz, June 1989
Hulewicz, 1989
Hulewicz, 1990
Kepos, 1994
Rohr, 1990

What are some of your memories of working at Rohr in Heber Springs? Please send your photos and stories to sue@rohrmemories.com so that we can post them here. Thanks!