Laundry processing company to build its first Southeastern facility in Tucker

Prudential Overall Supply, a provider of work uniforms and cleanroom laundry service systems, Nov. 16 announced plans for an industrial and cleanroom laundry processing facility site in Tucker. A cleanroom is an engineered space that maintains an extremely low concentration of airborne particles required in certain industrial processes.

Founded in California in 1932 to supply work clothing and materials such as shop towels to the growing automotive industry in Los Angeles, Prudential continues to be a family-owned business headquartered in Irvine, California.

The Tucker facility is a first step in Prudential’s plans to expand operations to the east coast, according to Prudential President Chris Welch. “We’re doing the opposite of what most businesses have done. Instead of starting on the east coast and expanding to the west coast, we started on the west coast and are expanding to the east coast,” he said.

“We already had an office in Tucker but not a facility such as the one we’re establishing,” Welch explained. “We knew already that this is a great place to do business. We have excellent relationships with the business and government communities in Tucker and DeKalb County. When we decided to grow our footprint in the Southeast, this was an obvious choice.”

Welch said, “This facility will eventually provide more than 100 well-paying jobs for the greater Tucker-DeKalb County community and provide our customers with best-in-class industrial and cleanroom laundry services throughout the region.”

Tucker Mayor Frank Aumen said Prudential Overall Supply “has been a great business partner through the years, and we look forward to continuing and growing with them,” adding, “The city of Tucker is thrilled that Prudential is expanding their space and providing even more jobs with the city. We pride ourselves on having a diverse base of jobs here in Tucker, ranging from heavy Industrial to high tech to service and retail.”

The Tucker facility is Prudential’s first in Georgia and the first in the Southeast, according to Welch. “We do have operations in Richmond, Virginia, but I consider that more the mid-Atlantic region,” he said.

Located on Rock Mountain Boulevard, the operation will provide industrial and cleanroom laundry processing services, according to Prudential officials. “There are a good many industries and businesses in the greater Atlanta area that we know we can serve well. The Southeast is expanding, and the greater Atlanta area is the linchpin of the Southeast,” Welch said.

“The Georgia market is important to Prudential, so we can best serve our customers expansion requirements in the region. We look to serve these requirements for existing and new customers. To signal our commitment to Georgia, our projected investment for this site is $35 million,” Welch continued.

Prudential officials say they anticipate providing manufacturing industries and businesses such as restaurants with such products as uniforms, floor mats, towels, and napkins. Potential cleanroom customers include industries that operate and manufacture in controlled environments such as semiconductor, pharmaceutical, bioscience, aerospace, education, and electronics facilities.

The new operation is to be established in a 61,000-square-foot commercial laundry facility on a 4.57-acre tract. Prudential has purchased the building and will begin the construction project with a completion date scheduled for the first quarter of 2024.

Georgia Department of Economic Development Deputy Commissioner of Global Commerce Kristi Brigman predicted, “Prudential Overall Supply’s investment in their modern, new Georgia facility, will provide quality jobs for Georgians and their families while contributing to the city of Tucker.”

DeKalb County Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson said of the coming facility, “Their presence brings both job opportunities and tax dollars to DeKalb. Our business community is integral to the future of DeKalb, and I am here to see all businesses in DeKalb succeed.”

This will be Prudential’s 36th location and its nineth ISO Class 3 cleanroom laundry processing facility in the United States. “The Tucker plant will be the industry’s newest, most modern, and among the largest industrial and cleanroom laundry processing plants in the United States,” a company news release states.