The sale of the Huttig Building Supply to Woodgrain Inc. earlier in the year has resulted in good news for employment-seekers in the Twin Counties.
Woodgrain recently announced it was investing $7.5 million to expand operations inside Rocky Mount’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, near the Huttig Building Supply plant in Rocky Mount.
“It’s great that Rocky Mount is Woodgrain’s top choice for its expansion,” Gov. Roy Cooper said in a news release. “This decision is indicative of the company’s positive experience with our strong communities, manufacturing economy and our world class workforce.”
The expansion will create 42 new jobs. Since it was announced that Woodgrain had acquired the Huttig operation in March, Oppie Jordan, vice president of economic development at the Carolinas Gateway Partnership, said that her organization has been working with local and state agencies, including the Governor’s Office, to facilitate the company’s expansion.
Norris Tolson, president and CEO of the Carolinas Gateway Partnership, said the company recently bought the Ceco Building Systems plant on Red Iron Road, about a mile north of N.C. Wesleyan University, and will be opening the new plant there.
Tolson said the company had been contemplating relocating its Huttig plant outside the Twin Counties to a facility that could house both operations. Aiding Woodgrain in acquiring the 280,000-square-foot Ceco building was pivotal in the retention of 60-plus jobs at Huttig as well as the creation of the new jobs, Tolson said.
As to when the company would be hiring for the new facility and its operational date, Jordan said those details are still in the planning process.
Founded in 1954, Woodgrain manufactures molding, millwork, windows, doors, door jambs and door frames. The company is headquartered in Idaho and has operations in Chile and the U.S. with seven locations in North Carolina, including a sawmill.
The expansion will relocate Woodgrain’s existing operation to a 225,000-square-foot facility, said Mary Winstead, a spokeswoman for the Governor’s Office.
Woodgrain executive Todd Dame said his company is excited about the expansion and the new jobs being created: “By expanding our manufacturing capabilities, we are able to further enhance our vertical integration, which plays an essential part in delivering on our commitment of creating quality millwork products. We continue to invest in North Carolina and thank all of our highly skilled associates for helping drive Woodgrain and American manufacturing.”
Winstead said the new positions will be in production, warehouse, delivery sales and administrative personnel with a combined average annual salary of $44,464, exceeding Nash County’s overall average annual wage of $44,377.
“The new jobs have the potential to create an annual payroll impact of more than $1.8 million,” he said.
Tolson said a $100,000 performance-based grant from the One NC Fund and a grant of roughly $30,000 from the City of Rocky Mount was used as an incentive for Woodgrain to expand its operations.
The One NC Fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help attract economic investment and create jobs. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment. All One NC grants require matching participation from local governments and any award is contingent upon that condition being met.
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