COMPTON : Cosmetics Firm Is Back After Nevada Detour

City officials have successfully wooed a multimillion-dollar cosmetics plant from Nevada.

Come Oct. 1, Freeman Cosmetics Corp., which boasts annual sales of $100 million, will open a manufacturing facility in Compton’s industrial park. The plant will employ about 350 people.

The competition to attract the Freeman plant away from Nevada was stiff and involved several cities, said the company’s president, Larry Freeman. Long Beach, Commerce, Pico Rivera and the City of Industry were also vying for the plant.

But Compton won.

“We’re in love with the city of Compton,” Freeman said. “They made us feel like we were wanted.”

Of course, Freeman’s love doesn’t come without a price. To attract the skin- and hair-care company, Compton promised Freeman at least $300,000 in low-interest city loans to purchase manufacturing equipment and to help defray set-up costs. The city also agreed to help move Freeman from its current site in Henderson, Nev., and help the company find and train new employees.

“The most important thing I saw in this deal was employment opportunities for our citizens,” said Councilman Ronald Green, who is credited with helping woo Freeman.

The company, which is headquartered in Beverly Hills, operated a plant in Long Beach until moving to Nevada in 1992. Later the firm regretted the move.