A $5.5 million investment from a year-old company to build a nine-kiln operation in Crewe, Va., should come with plenty of benefits to the state's wood industry, and the owner specifically named one company for which the new kilns will be a boon: Lumber Liquidators (Toano, Va.).
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A $5.5 million investment from a year-old company to build a nine-kiln operation in Crewe, Va., should come with plenty of benefits to the state's wood industry, and the owner specifically named one company for which the new kilns will be a boon: Lumber Liquidators (Toano, Va.).
The investment comes from Trout River Dry Kiln, sister company to lumber and flooring manufacturer Trout River Lumber LLC (Crewe, Va.). John Barber owns both companies; he founded Trout River Dry Kiln a year ago with this project in mind, he told Hardwood Floors.
In a statement published by the governor of Virginia's office, Barber said that the new kilns could only strengthen his 14-year relationship as a major Lumber Liquidator supplier.
"My company, Trout River Lumber, has been a large supplier to Lumber Liquidators for the past fourteen years," Barber said. "The formation of Trout River Dry Kilns further enhances the vertical integration of hardwood flooring production while providing Lumber Liquidators with hardwood flooring harvested and converted in Virginia."
Barber declined to disclose how much product he sells to Lumber Liquidators.
The project is part of the state's Agriculture and Forest Industries Development Fund, an economic development-focused program established in 2012 that grants up to $250,000 of matching funds for agriculture and forestry projects.
The Trout River Dry Kiln project received $100,000 in grant money, which was matched by the town of Crewe and Nottoway County through a land donation worth $115,000.
It is predicted to create 40 new jobs, according to the governor's statement, and as per grant stipulations those jobs must require a minimum of 35 hours of work per week or 1,680 hours per year. Seasonal employees and transferring jobs held in other areas of Virginia to the project do not count.
The governor's statement said that Trout River Dry Kiln will purchase 85 percent of its total wood material in state at a total cost of $30 million. AFID grant guidelines published by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services require only 30 percent of the material be sourced from within Virginia.
"We are grateful to have strong partners like Governor [Terry] McAuliffe and Secretary [Todd] Haymore to help us grow a strong and sustainable economic base for this community," said Clarence Simpson, chairman of the Nottoway County Board of Supervisors, in a statement.
Trout River's Barber said the kilns will be operational this fall.