OREANDA-NEWS. Governor Mike Beebe, Redman & Associates, a leading manufacturer of ride on toys, and Walmart today announced that Redman will open a new manufacturing and distribution facility in Rogers, Ark., that will produce six volt battery-powered ride on toys exclusively for Walmart. Redman, based in Bentonville, will invest USD 6.5 million in the facility, which will employ 74 people.

“We are extremely proud to be able to manufacture right here in Arkansas,” said Mel Redman, founder & CEO of Redman & Associates “This agreement was completed through working collaboratively with the state and Walmart and was accelerated following Walmart’s U.S. manufacturing summit in August.  We look forward to starting production and creating good-paying positions with average hourly wage of USD 18.”

Redman is locating its manufacturing and distribution operations in an existing 275,000 square foot building, located at 1300 North Dixieland Road in Rogers.  The factory will produce 6-volt battery powered ride on toys featuring characters from popular Disney and Marvel franchises including: Disney Princess, Classics, Disney∙Pixar and  Spider-Man. Production should begin in early 2014. Redman is licensed by Marvel Characters B.V., and Redman produces Disney character ride-on toys for Walmart under Walmart’s license with Disney.

“Today’s announcement is an example of what can happen when companies, industry leaders and government work together to make production in the United States possible again,” said Bill Simon, President and CEO for Walmart U.S. “This agreement was a direct result of conversations held at our recent U.S. manufacturing summit. It reinforces our belief that we can revitalize American manufacturing and help rebuild the middle class with good-paying jobs that will allow employees to be a part of the American dream again.”

“Americans want to buy manufactured goods made in America,” Governor Mike Beebe said. “Walmart’s commitment to restoring U.S. manufacturing jobs and Redman & Associates’ decision to bring these jobs to the U.S. allow more Americans to do just that. With rising business costs overseas, Arkansas has the ideal location and workforce for companies looking to manufacture and distribute products throughout the U.S. and the world.”

Today’s announcement follows Walmart’s U.S. manufacturing summit held Aug. 22 in Orlando, Fla., which was attended by nearly 1,500 government officials and suppliers.  The summit underscored Walmart’s commitment to buy an additional USD 50 billion in U.S.-made products over the next 10 years.