Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
Toll Free: 800-234-6575
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| Patrick firm buys Henry County plant |
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Thursday, April 16, 2009
Hopkins Lumber Contractors Inc. will expand into a former American of Martinsville plant in Henry County.
The move will create at least 10 full-time jobs with benefits packages, according to a release issued Wednesday by the Henry County Board of Supervisors and the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp.
John Hopkins Jr., president of Hopkins Lumber, said the jobs will range from laborers to workers skilled on specialized equipment, and the pay will vary as well. For that reason, he said he could not give figures.
Hopkins Lumber, located in Patrick County, has bought the former Century Park Building from American of Martinsville. No purchase price is being released, according to Hopkins.
The company plans to make an additional capital investment of at least $1.5 million, the release states. Hopkins added that will be spent on machinery, equipment and property improvements.
Equipment will start to be moved into the 197,000-square-foot plant around April 27, Hopkins said, and it will take several months for production to begin.
Henry County Administrator Benny Summerlin said the plant formerly housed the Triwood plant and the Budd Co. It is visible from the U.S. 58 bypass, he said.
Summerlin said the plant is in an enterprise zone, so it will qualify for tax rebates for new investments it makes. No county funds were spent to bring Hopkins here, he added.
Hopkins Lumber Contractors Inc. has been in business since 1980 in Patrick County, and company officials view this as an opportunity for both the consolidation and expansion of current operations, the release states.
“The location of the Century Park Building, along with its size and availability of acreage, will afford our company the opportunity to create new production lines and further expand our customer base,” said John Hopkins Sr., chief executive officer of Hopkins Lumber Contractors.
Hopkins Lumber produces industrial lumber in its facilities in Stuart and Woolwine and has 65 full-time employees. Its customers are in the furniture, glass, extruded products, food and beverage, and steel industries, Hopkins Jr. said.
“Currently we are selling dimensional cut stock material to companies in 19 states. We purchase logs from over 50 logging contractors. We also purchase lumber cants (heart center of a log) from more than 30 sawmills. Being able to consolidate our manufacturing should help us to better serve our customers and the extra storage should allow us to simplify handling and shipping,” he said.
Debra Buchanan, chairman of the county board of supervisors, said the county is excited about Hopkins Lumber coming to Henry County.
“Hopkins will be a terrific addition to our corporate community, and we look forward to working with them to make this new venture a success.”
“We have been working with Hopkins since August of last year, and it is great to announce their plans for Martinsville-Henry County,” said Mark Heath, president/CEO of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp. “We look forward to continuing to work with them as they grow in our community. It is especially fulfilling to see a former manufacturing facility readapted for a new use.” |
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