Alabama’s Westervelt Co. Announces New SYP Sawmill
The Westervelt Co. announced the construction of a new lumber mill in Thomasville that will create 125 jobs. The Tuscaloosa-based company said in a news release that the Thomasville facility will produce around 250 million board feet of Southern yellow pine lumber annually when operations begin in 2020. Construction is expected to begin in mid-2019.
This will be the 134-year-old company’s second lumber mill in the state; the Westervelt Co. has operated a lumber mill in Moundville since 1997. “The Westervelt Co.’s deep roots in Alabama date back for generations, and I’m pleased to see this family business continue to invest and grow in the state,” said Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “The company’s new lumber production facility in Clarke County represents an important job-creating project for a rural area, and it will provide a boost for the forest products industry throughout the region.”
The proximity of the Westervelt Co.’s timberland, the available workforce and the existing base of customers were cited as factors in deciding to build the facility in Thomasville. “This new mill represents our commitment to the state of Alabama and the region,” said Brian Luoma, president and CEO of the Westervelt Co.
Thomasville Mayor Sheldon Day said the city had worked “shoulder to shoulder” with the Clarke County Commission, the state of Alabama and many others to bring the lumber mill to rural southwest Alabama. “This project will have a tremendous impact on our community and rural region,” Day said.
Gov. Kay Ivey said the Westervelt Co. has played a prominent role in the state’s lumber industry for a long time while promoting good environmental stewardship.
From TuscaloosaNews.com: tuscaloosanews.com.
RELATED ARTICLES
Latest News
First CLT Office Opens In DC
Opened in fall 2022, the first mass timber commercial building in the U.S. capital city features more than 108,000 sq. ft. of mass timber. The building is an innovative retrofit at 80 M Street SE in Washington, DC: Termed an overbuild—extra stories atop an existing building—the expansion features three floors, where columns of mass timber are visible from the interior…
Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks
Article by Jessica Johnson, Senior Editor, Timber Processing November 2022 – I very clearly remember a dinner I had with one of my favorite engineers from the West Coast after a day on the sawmill show floor many, many years ago. After a few cocktails (don’t all stories get good once you hear…
SFPA Elects 2022-23 Officers
The Southern Forest Products Assn. (SFPA) elected its new officers during the board of directors session at the association’s annual meeting October 21, 2022, in Nashville. The 2022-23 SFPA officers are Chairman of the Board, Mark Richardson, The Westervelt Co.; Vice Chairman of the…
Find Us On Social
Newsletter
The monthly Timber Processing Industry Newsletter reaches over 4,000 mill owners and supervisors.
Subscribe/Renew
Timber Processing is delivered 10 times per year to subscribers who represent sawmill ownership, management and supervisory personnel and corporate executives. Subscriptions are FREE to qualified individuals.
Advertise
Complete the online form so we can direct you to the appropriate Sales Representative.