ReadyOne Industries, one of El Paso’s few remaining garment factories, plans to increase its workforce next year after recently receiving two contracts totaling $286.2 million to continue making military clothing.
ReadyOne's main mission is to employ people with physical and mental disabilities.
Seventy-five percent of its workforce, now at about 570 people, has severe disabilities, including some blind employees, said Craig Wellons, chief operating officer and president of the not-for profit company.
Most of those employees work in the garment factory, the largest in El Paso, making military uniforms.
The company plans to hire about 130 new employees in 2025 tied to a new, $193.8 million, two-year contract to produce chemical protective suits for all military branches, he said.
It's currently hiring about 20 people monthly for new jobs and to fill vacancies as people leave the company, he said.
The jobs pay $8.50 to $20 per hour, based on productivity.
It's the only company making suits for the military that protect against chemical, biological, and radiological contaminants, Wellons said.
Each suit costs an average of $600, with most of that cost for special materials.
“We’ve been making the chemical suits for a long time,” he said.
ReadyOne also recently received a $92.4 million, five-year contract to continue making camouflage pants for the U.S. Army. That contract will keep 80 to 100 people employed, Wellons said.
The 47-year-old company’s employees have been doing work for military branches for decades and have earned their trust, Wellons said. A tarnished part of the company's history is long gone.
The company also helps design military uniforms.
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Many of ReadyOne’s employees have years of sewing experience, with 50 the average age of the workforce.
Some of them gained experience working for large garment companies when, more than 20 years ago, El Paso was a garment manufacturing capital. But the North American Free Trade Agreement and other factors prompted companies to shift production to Mexico and other countries where wages were lower.
ReadyOne also has succeeded in getting some younger employees, Wellons said. The company provides training.
“It’s not exactly easy in the post-COVID world to get employees,” Wellons said. But the company has a strong recruiting effort, he added.
The company’s workforce has shrunk from about 1,100 employees in late 2017 to 570 now because military contracts declined during the pandemic.
Wellons started working for ReadyOne in March 2019 as controller and became its top executive in April 2021. He replaced Luis Alvarez, who retired after overseeing the company for just over three years.
“I have been focused on refitting the contract pipeline to ensure stable work," since taking the top job, he said.
The company filled some of the military contract gaps during the pandemic by producing cloth face masks, which it no longer produces.
The company has contracts totaling about $400 million, including the new ones. It's projected to have about $80 million in sales this year.
Besides making military garments, the company also provides packaging and logistics services, mostly for the military. It also makes boxes, mostly for the U.S. Postal Service, through its subsidiary, Roicom, also a not-for-profit company.
The other services are important, but "sewing is our heart and soul," Wellons said.
Its sewing factory is at 1414 Ability Drive, in East El Paso, and its box plant is nearby at 11460 Pellicano Drive.
People with and without disabilities can apply for jobs by going to the Ability Drive plant Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Or apply online at readyone.jobs
Vic Kolenc may be reached at 915-546-6421; vkolenc@elpasotimes.com ; @vickolenc on Twitter , now known as X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso's largest garment factory gets $286M boost, hiring workers, most with disabilities
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