Business Briefs: Shaw Industries to add solar array

photo Shaw Industries, Inc., is a leading manufacturer of carpets and flooring.

Shaw to add solar array

Dalton, Ga.-based Shaw Industries is installing a 1.4 million kilowatt solar array on its Cartersville, Ga. plant as part of the carpetmaker's focus on renewable energy.

The 3,700-panel installation will provide enough energy to power 100 homes each year, and will help power Shaw's carpet tile facility, known as Plant 15 or Plant X.

Shaw wouldn't reveal the cost, but Paul Murray, vice president of sustainability and environmental affairs, said the energy efficiency gained from solar power makes the project a worthwhile investment.

"Solar is a mature, reliable power source, and the economics made this a viable, long-term investment for this facility," Murray said.

Shaw spent about $5 million in 2012 on similar energy efficiency and greenhouse gas improvements, reducing its greenhouse emissions by more than 17 percent.


Shutdown cuts jobs at jobless office

As the federal shutdown pushes more government workers into unemployment offices, some of those staffing the state career centers are also losing their jobs.

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development laid off 26 workers in its research and market information divisions on Wednesday. The layoffs are because of cuts in federal funding for the state employment office through the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which compiles monthly jobless rates and job growth projections.

Other states have had to take similar measures include North Carolina, Nebraska, Illinois, Washington and Arizona.

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