This year, one of Peachtree City’s pioneering companies is marking its 50th anniversary of operations here.
Monday morning, the employees of Norman W. Paschall Inc. also celebrated the 93rd birthday of their founder, Norman “Zeke” Paschall.
The boss was caught by surprise with a brief ceremony in which he was presented a proclamation from the city by Mayor Pro-Tem Kim Learnard. The backdrop of the presentation was the company’s unofficial “wall of fame” containing photographs of employees who worked between 20 and 50 years for the company.
On that wall were the words: “Norman W. Paschall Inc. Our people make our company great!”
Paschall still comes to work every day and joked that his employees only think he’s in charge of the operation. He also humorously recalled several visits in the early days from Peachtree City founder Joel Cowan, who was concerned routinely about the cloud of dust emanating from the company’s kaolin clay operations.
The cloud of dust made it easy to find Norman W. Paschall Inc. but the dust problem went away when the kaolin operation did, Mr. Paschall said.
Paschall also recalled an occasion years ago when the county tax commissioner stopped by for a visit. The commissioner asked if perhaps the company had made a mistake and accidentally reported too much in its ad valorem taxes for the year.
That’s not the kind of visit that would be made today, Paschall said, adding that when he first relocated from Buckhead to Peachtree City, there were no taxes assessed to speak of. Naturally, as the city progressed from a rural hamlet to a suburban community, that luxury went away.
The company processes byproduct from cotton gins called “motes” and bales it into a cleaner fiber to sell on the open market. Paschall also has found a market to sell the far dirtier byproduct from the motes, which is used to feed cattle.
Paschall also repurposes used carpet and furniture padding into materials used for the soundproofing of automobiles and material that can be used under the top layer of a horse racing track.
The company employs about 100 employees now, up from its start of between 50 and 60 when it first came to Peachtree City. The company is located at the end of Paschall Road on the northern tip of the industrial park.
In a 2006 interview, Paschall credited his company’s success to the dedication of his employees.
“A boss is no better than his personnel,” Paschall said. “And I’ve got some very good personnel.”
