Photos via USG Shoals
SHOALS, Ind. — For seven decades, the USG Shoals plant has stood as a pillar of economic growth, community involvement, and innovation in southern Indiana. Established in 1954 and beginning full production in 1955, the plant has grown from a modest one-board operation to a sprawling facility employing approximately 260 workers from the local area. This year, as the company celebrates Manufacturing Month, leaders are reflecting on both the plant’s legacy and its evolving mission.
“USG Shoals has been a prominent employer here for some time, obviously, and has a long history of giving back to this community, not just in Martin County, but in the other surrounding counties as well,” said Dakohta Rogers, senior manager at USG, in a recent interview. “We’ve done work through donations, volunteering time, and getting involved with the Manufacturing Alliance and the chamber. That’s been a big focus of ours.”
The plant’s history is intertwined with the region’s rich gypsum deposits, which have fueled its growth and sustained its operations. Over the years, USG Shoals has become more than just a manufacturing hub; it is now a driving force behind local educational programs, economic development, and sustainability initiatives.
A Focus on Sustainability
Sustainability has been woven into USG’s operations for decades. According to Rogers, the company began working with coal-fired power plants in the late 1980s and early 1990s to repurpose byproducts for manufacturing wallboard, a move that kept tons of material out of landfills and set an industry standard.
“Instead of sending all that material to landfill, we started bringing that into our plants,” Rogers said. “Today, most wallboard companies have taken on that same technology, which has displaced a ton of material that was going to landfill.”
Recent efforts include reducing the weight of wallboard, which lowers transportation emissions, and converting the plant’s mining operations from diesel to electric equipment. “We’re working on converting our mining operation, which historically has been very diesel-focused, to electrification,” Rogers explained. “In the future, all of our rock hauling will be done using batteries. That’s pretty exciting, and a huge diversion of that carbon that is used in the use of diesel.”
National Reach, Local Roots
Though headquartered in Shoals, the plant’s reach is national. USG Shoals supplies products to commercial, residential, and retail markets across the United States—and occasionally internationally—serving projects as high-profile as the new Upload Bull Stadium. The plant is also one of the few in the company to manufacture products for the manufactured housing industry and gypsum-based ceiling tiles.
“On any given year, we ship to all 50 states, and we do ship some product, although very minimal, across the border,” Rogers said. “It’s exciting to see that the products we manufacture right here in southern Indiana are used in major projects all over the U.S.”
Investing in the Future Workforce
USG Shoals’ commitment to the next generation goes beyond job creation. The plant partners with local schools to create pathways for students to explore careers in manufacturing, hosting career fairs, classroom presentations, and mock interviews. Rogers called it “one of the most rewarding parts of my job” to watch local high school graduates grow into plant leaders.
“Over the course of time, whether that be three, five, or ten years, we see them getting into supervisory roles and even department manager positions,” Rogers said. The company also offers $500 scholarships annually for employees’ children and up to $10,000 a year in educational assistance for employees seeking further training.
Safety and Operational Excellence
Safety is paramount at USG Shoals. Each day begins with a safety huddle and stretching exercises, and the plant has a robust incident investigation process to ensure continuous improvement. “We have a robust incident investigation process that we put in place to make sure that, using continuous improvement principles, when we have an incident here—where an employee either gets hurt or, even better, where there’s a near miss—we take the opportunity to investigate what happened, get to a root cause, and then attack that root cause with corrective action,” Rogers said.
The plant’s focus on automation has removed “dull and dirty jobs,” allowing workers to transition into more challenging, engaging roles without reducing overall headcount. “Our head count has increased over the years, and it’s just a different type of work,” Rogers noted.
A Tradition of Giving Back
Community engagement remains at the heart of USG Shoals. Through USG’s Give Local program, the plant donates $5,000 annually to local charities, with employees recommending recipients. Since 2018, beneficiaries have included the Martin County Historic Society, Martin County Community Foundation, local robotics clubs, playgrounds, and the sheriff’s department.
“It’s rewarding because that program isn’t just decided by management, but every associate here has an opportunity to recommend a charity that they feel is deserving,” Rogers said. “It’s pretty heartwarming to see how many of our folks are involved with local sports teams or robotics.”
As USG Shoals looks to the future, leaders say the plant’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, and community will remain central to its mission. “We have many years of the future rock available, and we’ve got projects like this all across the country,” Rogers said. “We’re always looking at the next technology—how do we like automate our operations to remove some of those dull and dirty jobs that people don’t want to do, and transition into jobs that people can use their brains, get involved, and troubleshoot.”
For more information about career opportunities at USG Shoals, visit usg.com/careers.