As new year approaches, New Vision continues growing and employing within Breckenridge

After nearly two months since hiring its first employees, New Vision has come closer to full swing in terms of its production. While they are still maneuvering problems and learning along the process, the plant is getting closer to putting out its projects on time.

Production Manager Bill Davidson said the plant is working like clockwork in terms of its process. It begins with framing. While framing is happening, they prepare the floor with plumbing and electric, and set it on top of the frame. Then they put the partition walls on it, followed by side walls, then the structure is ready for a roof.

Each of these parts are being built and worked by a crew at all times, so when one part is ready, they are always prepared for the next stage.

“It’s pretty neat how it works sort of like an assembly line,” Davidson said. “It’s just constant [motion] all the time.”

Despite the strong start, Davidson said there is still a lot of work to be done, and staying on track and on schedule are imperative to keeping up with the volume of orders they’re receiving.

Currently, Davidson said they’ve hired about 85 people, including over a dozen since last week. But he is still wanting to hire more in all positions of the warehouse, and expects to begin hiring between 20 to 30 more people over the next few weeks. He added there are still orders coming in that they are needing to meet.

“We’re getting pretty close to going up to two [houses] a day,” Davidson said. “That requires more people.”

Davidson said based on the size of the houses being built now, which are 18 feet wide and 80 feet long, he said he’d be happy if he could get his crew to produce three to four per day.

Davidson said part of getting the process started up is ironing out kinks and problems. He said the biggest problem they’ve had in being able to consistently push out houses is getting the material necessary to build them.

Right now, they are building what Davidson called man-camps. They are homes that have six individual rooms within them, similar to a motel, that can be moved around and allow for employees to sleep on-site.

Davidson said in truth, he is a little bit behind where he wants to be, but he is happy with the progress that has been made, which has required training, putting together the process and troubleshooting issues that come up during production.

“I am a few houses behind, because I do have a deadline to meet,” Davidson said. “I promised these houses so we have to pick it up. But it’s coming, it’s getting there and I can see it …. There’s a bunch of room to grow.”

In terms of hiring, Davidson said the plant has stayed away from trying to hire experience, in pursuit of hiring locally and in-house. He added almost all the foremen and staff are from town. In addition to this, he said wages offered by the plant, which start at $13 for little to no experience, have begun to push wages up at other businesses around town.

Many from around the area were given a tour of the plant last Wednesday, allowing attendees to see the work going on within the warehouse, as well as check out finished homes. Virgil Moore, the executive director at the Breckenridge Economic Development Corporation, was included in that tour. While he regularly goes to the plant, he still said he is happy with the strides he has seen from the plant.

“It’s been tremendous progress in a short amount of time,” Moore said. “They are ahead of schedule on all of my expectations.”

Davidson said one of the best things about the development is the excitement he is seeing from local residents, saying that the employees are prideful of their work and are wanting to have the plant help boost the economy.

“You can’t go anywhere and somebody not want to talk to you about [the plant], or buy your lunch,” Davidson said. “One woman came up to me and started crying …. She said ‘you don’t know what this means.’”

The hiring process was the biggest thing Davidson stressed, specifically the need for more labor. If you are interested in pursuing a job through New Vision, call them at 254-559-2583.