On Friday, March 5, the completion of Westervelt Lumber‘s Thomasville, Ala., mill was celebrated. Westervelt Lumber is an SFPA Manufacturer Member. The first load of lumber left the facility, purchased by Great Southern Wood Preserving, an SFPA Associate Member.
Brian Luoma, President and CEO of The Westervelt Company, was on hand for the event, saying “we just saw our first load of lumber leave the Thomasville facility, and it brings us full circle from almost two years ago when this project began as an idea and a strategy, to a fully operational mill and the shipment of our first load of lumber. This is the first day of the future for Westervelt, and this is an event that changes the Company.”
The Thomasville facility, located in the North Clarke Industrial Park, will produce 250 million board feet annually. The Clarke County location will take advantage of the proximity of the Company’s timberland and existing customer base. In the coming months, the workforce of 125 will be fully staffed as the second shift starts up in the second quarter of this year. This facility complements the Company’s flagship lumber facility in Moundville, Ala.
The facility manager, Steve Metz, credits the people who contributed to the completion of the mill, both in Thomasville and around the Company. “We sold our first load of lumber on that truck, and it was a great feeling. So much went into creating this place from all of Westervelt, and for us to be here today is just fantastic.”
The team was particularly proud of the construction process that led to an on-time completion, even with much of the construction coming during the pandemic. Vice President and General Manager of Wood Products Joe Patton says “this has been a challenging year of construction, dealing with the impact of the COVID-19 virus. We have been very fortunate to work with the BID Group that shared our safety concerns and processes so we could safely complete the mill on time.”
For more information about purchasing Westervelt Lumber, please reach out to the Sales Team at 800.633.5963, or at WesterveltLumber.com.
For more information on current job openings and to apply online, visit Westervelt.com/Careers.
Not an SFPA member?
Learn more about becoming a member of the Southern Forest Products Association here.