Huber Engineered Woods LLC officials announced Friday the company will reopen its manufacturing facility in Spring City. Huber Engineered Woods, a manufacturer of specialty building products, will create 141 new jobs as part of the reopening.
“We thank Huber Engineered Woods for its decision to reopen its Spring City mill, creating more than 140 new jobs in Rhea County,” Governor Bill Haslam said. “Huber Engineered Woods serves thousands of building products dealers and distributors throughout North America and choosing to restart its Tennessee operations speaks volumes to Rhea County’s skilled, well-trained workforce. We appreciate Huber Engineered Woods’ continued commitment to Tennessee and for bringing us another step closer to our goal of being the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs.”
“With over 3,700 employees at approximately 30 establishments, the manufacturing sector employs more people in Rhea County than any other industry, and we are pleased to see that number grow in Spring City because of Huber Engineered Woods,” Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd said. “Rhea County recently advanced out of its designation as one of Tennessee’s 21 distressed counties, and I couldn’t be more proud of the efforts made by local officials and Team Tennessee for promoting everything the county has to offer, including the strength of its workforce. I thank Huber Engineered Woods for reopening its Spring City facility and creating new opportunities for nearly 150 Tennesseans.”
HEW’s Spring City facility, located northeast of Chattanooga, is currently undergoing upgrades in preparation of manufacturing specialty panel products including AdvanTech subflooring and ZIP System sheathing products beginning in April 2018.
The facility is one of only five continuous press operations in North America dedicated to the production of oriented strand board products.
“The reopening of our Spring City mill is an indication of the strength and resiliency of our ZIP System and AdvanTech branded products,” Huber Engineered Woods President Brian Carlson said. “This operational investment will increase our company’s production capacity and further enhance our product availability and highly regarded customer service.
“We are thankful for the support we received from the State of Tennessee, TVA and Rhea County for the reopening of the Spring City facility. Governor Bill Haslam, Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd, TVA Senior Vice President John Bradley and Rhea County Executive George Thacker and their teams played instrumental roles in our decision-making process for the re-start of our Spring City location,” Mr. Carlson added.
The facility originally opened in 1997, but halted production during the housing market downturn in 2011. The decision to reopen the mill comes as welcome news to executives in Rhea County TVA.
“I want to personally thank the Rhea County Commission for its full support," said Rhea County Executive George Thacker. "With the help of the State of Tennessee, TVA and other partners, we are thrilled to have successfully competed for this project and secure 141 jobs. Living in Rhea County, I know what an impact this will have on our community, and we appreciate Huber Engineered Woods’ reinvestment in the county."
“I am very excited about landing the Huber Engineered Woods project, and I’m especially excited for the people of this community,” Spring City Mayor Billy Ray Patton said. “Huber Engineered Woods will offer great paying jobs right here in Spring City.”
“This is certainly great news for Rhea County and surrounding areas,” said Rep. Ron Travis. “We are all truly thankful to Huber for making this important commitment to our community and I offer my full support to ensure things move forward as smoothly as possible.”
“TVA and Volunteer Electric Cooperative congratulate Huber Engineered Woods on this exciting announcement in Spring City, Tennessee,” TVA Senior Vice President of Economic Development John Bradley said. “We are proud to serve with our partners, the Rhea Economic and Tourism Council and Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development to help foster continued growth in the Valley.”
Huber Engineered Woods will begin hiring at its Spring City facility in early 2017, with the mill scheduled to begin full production in April 2018.