Manufacturer to invest $4.9M in Franklin County expansion

Cornerstone Building Brands, a North Carolina-headquartered manufacturer of exterior building products, plans to invest $4.9 million to expand capacity at its Franklin County campus, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Thursday.

The expansion is expected to create 50 jobs.

“Cornerstone Building Brands is proud to continue advancing American manufacturing by expanding our operations in Rocky Mount where we have a terrific team,” Gunner Smith, CEO of Cornerstone Building Brands, said in a news release. “This investment increases our capacity and strengthens our ability to meet future demand for our Ply Gem windows and doors while creating new career opportunities for skilled manufacturing workers in Franklin County.”

In 2018, NCI Building Systems, a Texas-based manufacturer of exterior building products for commercial construction, and Ply Gem Building Products, a North Carolina-based manufacturer of exterior building products for residential construction, merged and began selling their exterior building materials under the Cornerstone Building Brands name.

The company sells vinyl windows and doors, vinyl siding, stone veneer, metal roofing, metal wall systems and metal accessories. Cornerstone Building Brands’ portfolio includes the brands Ply Gem, Simonton Windows and Doors, Mastic by Ply Gem and Mueller.

Cornerstone Building Brands did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Cornerstone Building Brands’ expansion builds on the proud manufacturing legacy of its Rocky Mount facility, which has been a cornerstone of Franklin County’s economy since 1939,” Roanoke Regional Partnership CEO John Hull said in a news release. “The Roanoke region is home to a strong cluster of building products companies — from windows and glass to cement and materials — that continue to innovate, invest and create opportunity for our community.”

With 18,800 employees, Cornerstone Building Brands has close to 100 manufacturing facilities and more than 100 warehouses.