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Tag: timber

Speyside Bourbon Cooperage to create 40 jobs in Pittsylvania

Speyside Bourbon Cooperage will invest $16.85 million to build a new stave mill in Pittsylvania County’s Brosville Industrial Park, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced last week. 

A U.S. subsidiary of a French company, Speyside Bourbon Cooperage produces staves, or strips of wood, from American White Oak, which are used to make the company’s bourbon barrels.

Pittsylvania County’s stave mill will supply Speyside’s Smyth County cooperage (a facility where workers make barrels). The stave mill is expected to create 40 new jobs and will source 40% of its timber from Virginia landowners, according to the news release. 

Speyside Bourbon Cooperage is a division of Speyside Cooperage, which was founded in 1947 in Scotland. In 2008, the Tonnellerie François Frères Group bought Speyside Cooperage. In the U.S., Speyside has cooperage locations in Shepherdsville, Kentucky; Jackson, Ohio; and Smyth County, Virginia. The Virginia facility opened in 2020.  Additionally, Speyside Bourbon Cooperage opened a stave mill in Bath County in Millboro in 2018 and invested $114,000 in an expansion the following year. In 2020, Speyside opened another stave mill in Glade Spring in Washington County. 

“We never thought we would have four sites in the state, but once we started working here, it became clear that Virginia is the perfect partner for us.” Darren Whitmer, president and general manager of Speyside Bourbon Cooperage, stated in the news release. 

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services worked with Pittsylvania County, the Pittsylvania County Industrial Development Authority and the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance to win the project. 

Gov. Youngkin approved a $250,000 grant from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund, which Pittsylvania County will match using local funds, according to the news release.  

“The manufacture of high-quality oak staves by Speyside Bourbon Cooperage leverages one of Pittsylvania County’s historic economic drivers – forestry and agriculture – and allows us to operationalize our renewable white oak resource at a much higher level. Also, the construction of this facility will complete the development of the Brosville Industrial Park, providing a clear indication that economic growth remains strong in this area,” Dr. Joey Faucette, chair of the county’s Industrial Development Authority, stated in the news release.

Timber exporter building $1.1M facility in Suffolk

Kristi Corp. a global supplier of industrial raw materials for aluminum and steel metallurgical industries, will build a $1.1 million log load and fumigation facility in Suffolk, creating 10 jobs, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday.

The company will source 100% of its exports from Virginia logging companies. Virginia competed with North Carolina and Pennsylvania for the project, which will be located at 1326 Portsmouth Boulevard.

“Once again, the world-class Port of Virginia and our skilled workforce enabled our commonwealth to successfully compete for this new lumber exporting facility,” Northam said in a statement. “This project will benefit both the local economy and our forestry industry, and we look forward to partnering with Kristi Corporation as it grows in Suffolk.”

Headquartered in New Jersey, Kristi Corp. was founded in 2005 and has branches in Canada and India. The company exports logs, lumber and biomass materials from North America across the globe.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the City of Suffolk, the Virginia Department of Forestry and The Port of Virginia to secure the project for Virginia. VEDP’s Virginia Jobs Investment Program will assist Kristi Corp. with its employee recruitment and training.

 

Lumber company to invest $11M in Caroline County

Gatesville, North Carolina-based lumber company Ashton Lewis Lumber Co. will invest $11 million to establish a specialty Southern yellow pine sawmill in Ruther Glen (part of Caroline County), Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday. The company has also committed to sourcing 90% of its pine lumber purchases from Virginia forestland owners as part of the investment.

Ashton Lewis recently acquired Caroline County-based pine sawmill W.T. Jones & Sons Inc., which was established in 1970. The purchase saved 44 jobs, according to a statement from Northam’s office.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Ashton Lewis to Virginia, where forestry is our third-largest private industry,” Northam said in a statement. “Ashton Lewis’ commitment to Caroline County will not only preserve quality jobs for hardworking Virginians and bring valuable investment to this rural locality, but will continue to provide markets for our forestland owners.”

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services worked with Caroline County to secure the project for Virginia. Northam approved a $50,000 grant from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund to help Caroline County, and Ashton Lewis will receive training services through the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

“We are pleased to see Ashton Lewis taking over the former W.T. Jones & Sons sawmill in Caroline County and thank the company for retaining and creating jobs in rural Virginia,” Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball said in a statement. “It’s also great to see that the company will be purchasing a majority of its logs from Virginia landowners.”

 

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