Great Southern Wood plans to expand its treatment facility in Irvington, the Mobile Chamber announced Friday.
The Mobile County facility will see a capital investment totaling nearly $14 million to improve traffic flow, storage, and expand the company’s ability to process imports and exports through the Port of Mobile.
Jimmy Rane, Great Southern Wood’s founder, president and CEO, said the project “is the next step in our long-term commitment to Mobile and the entire Gulf Coast region.”
“Very early in our company’s history, we identified Mobile and the Gulf Coast region as a key growth area,” said Rane. “As a result, we built our second treating plant in Mobile County in 1976. Since then, we’ve experienced consistent growth, and this new investment of roughly $13.7 million will help set the path to future growth in the years to come.
“The project will expand the current footprint of the facility and will allow for improved traffic flow and therefore increased safety. In addition, the project will allow greater expansion of our distribution products business through increased storage as well as improved ability to warehouse, store and process import and export material through the Port of Mobile.
“To help accommodate our growth, the existing office and manufacturing space at the location will be renovated, and we also expect our workforce to increase.”
The company’s investment will create 12 jobs and 78 positions will be retained.
“We have a very strong leadership team and workforce in Mobile, and this expansion makes a strong statement about our ongoing commitment to our team, the Mobile community and the residential, construction and industrial markets we serve from this facility,” said Rane. “We couldn’t be more excited about this expansion — not only what it means for our company, but what it means for Mobile and the Gulf Coast region as well.”
The Great Southern Wood project is the most recent expansion relating to Mobile’s robust logistics and distribution industry.
According to Mobile Chamber President & CEO Bradley Byrne, the company’s expansion will serve to benefit the deep-water port.
“It’s all about being more efficient when getting products to suppliers,” said Byrne. “This is not only an investment into the Great Southern Wood facility, but an investment into the growth and expansion of the port.”
Great Southern Wood’s decision to increase its investment in Irvington is a testament to the quality of the local workforce, said Mobile County Commissioner Randall Dueitt.
“Mobile County Commission is pleased that Great Southern Wood’s Treatment Facility expansion project will infuse construction dollars, retain jobs and create new jobs in Mobile County,” said Dueitt. “Decisions to expand, like this one, demonstrate Mobile County’s quality workforce and growing logistics capacity.”
Alabama Power emerged as a strategic partner in the project’s development, according to the chamber.
“Great Southern Wood’s expansion in Irvington is an impactful success story for economic development in our state,” said Leigh Davis, vice president of Economic and Community Development at Alabama Power. “We are proud to be one of the partners supporting the continued growth of this company and this industry.”
Since the facility opened in 1976, Great Southern Wood has actively partnered with the unincorporated town of Irvington.
Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, took note of the company’s long-term presence in the Mobile County community.
“Great Southern Wood’s expansion project will preserve and create jobs at its Mobile facility while also supporting the growth of the region’s distribution and logistics infrastructure,” said Canfield. “In addition, the investment reflects the company’s commitment to a community that values it as a long-standing partner.”
The company intends to break ground on the expansion in January and plans to complete the project by the end of February 2024.
Dylan Smith is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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