Sunday, December 05, 1999

Rural basket-maker adding Columbus office

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The Associated Press

        COLUMBUS — A basketmaker known for its small-town appeal is setting up an office in a big city.

        The Longaberger Co. has bought a three-story, 87,000-square-foot office building on the east side of Columbus.

        The late Dave Longaberger established the company in Dresden, a village of 1,600 people in Muskingum County, in 1973. Two years ago, Longaberger opened a new corporate office, in Newark in Licking County, fashioned after one of its best-selling baskets.

        One of the reasons for establishing a Columbus office is the difficulty in recruiting technical professionals to smaller cities where Longaberger operates.

        “Our growth over the past two years, especially in the information-technology area, has far exceeded projections when we opened our home office,” Chief Executive Tami Longaberger said.

        “This space will allow us to continue to grow and recruit the highly technical information-technology positions in the next few years.”

        About 50 people should be working in the new building by March. Eventually, up to 350 information-technology employees will be assigned to the Columbus operation, officials said.

        The company employs about 7,600 and has 55,000 independent sales associates.

       

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