Emilia poised for expansion
At their meeting on October 18, the Kemper County Board of Supervisors authorized advertising for bids to renovate and upgrade the county-owned building leased by Emilia Resources LLC for their cosmetics and pharmaceuticals manufacturing operations.
The initial phase of work will focus on the oldest section of the plant, including improvements to floors, walls, ceilings, electrical wiring, and lighting. A second phase of this project will include internal remodeling and upgrades to increase the production capacity of the plant.
Pat Granger, board President, stated, “We are pleased to be advancing this project to construction. Our board is excited about the new jobs being created. Our goal is to create even more in the future at Emilia, as well as elsewhere throughout the county.”
Angie Smith, Emilia Operations Manager, said “We are excited to finally get this project under construction. The board has worked diligently with us on this project to enable us to continue to grow our operations and increase the number of employees on our payroll.”
Emilia Resources in DeKalb is a division of Emilia Cosmetics based in Israel. Emilia has been one of the county’s larger private industries since it began operations in DeKalb in 2014. Currently, they employ 95 people full-time with benefits, and are seeking to hire more.
They produce personal care and pharmaceutical products for a multitude of retailers across the country. This project is being funded with a federal grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission, a state Rural Impact grant (both administered by the Mississippi Development Authority), as well as county funds.