SANDY VALLEY, Nev. -- Kitty litter may be helping to pick up the economy in a rural Clark County town.
Sandy Valley is about 50 miles southwest of Las Vegas. The town was hit hard during the recession, but an explosion of hiring at a local mill is giving people hope.
"(Residents had) more upset feelings about they couldn't find jobs, they were living on unemployment and hoping the extension would go through so they could pay their bills," said Jessica Rives, shipping and receiving manager for the KMI mill.
Conrad Wagenaar, vice president of operations at the mill, said zeolite is added to many products to help absorb moisture and odor.
"We have one of the purest sources in North America," he said. "We process it here. We crush it down to size. … We have a number of blending operations where we make proprietary blends."
For years the mill has scraped along with less than 12 employees. But after landing a contract with Fresh Air cat litter, hiring has exploded.
Since August the mill has hired 18 people and plans to have up to 50 employees by next spring.
"It gives you a sense of pride and feeling that you've got some worth, said Paul Desimone, the mill's quality control manager. "And you've got something you can actually grow in to create a career."
Pet Loo CEO Tobi Skovron, which owns the Fresh Air brand, said it's just the beginning.
"I anticipate having some tremendous success and high growth and further employment for the locals in Sandy Valley," Skovron said.
Rives said she hopes it's the beginning of a recovery.
"Just taking people off of unemployment and giving people a sense of pride again," she said.
Wagenaar said the unemployment rate in Sandy Valley has already lowered thanks to the new hiring.
Workers at the kitty litter mill in Sandy Valley, Nev.
