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Armstrong expansion breaks ground

BEVERLY — Armstrong Flooring officials and community leaders gathered Monday morning for a groundbreaking ceremony for the upcoming expansion to the Beverly facility.

Sen. Shelley Moore-Capito, R-W.Va., said the expansion project holds a special place for her as her father was governor when the company originally opened in Beverly.

“It’s great to be back in Randolph County and it’s great to be back here at Armstrong. As you all know, it’s close to my heart because of the origins of this factory back in the ’80s was part of some of my dad’s legacy when he was here in the ’80s as governor. I don’t think he got to do the final ribbon-cutting so I make sure I don’t miss one dag-gone ribbon cutting when it comes to this place,” Capito said.

She added she is encouraged to see such a large company properly utilizing the abundant natural resources in the state.

“We live in, I think, such a beautiful state that has such great natural resources that we see here today, when used properly and in the right way and with the right care, help to employ over 600 people in our local area, and more than that when you have the auxiliary businesses that are connected with this,” Capito said. “It also adds to the quality of life and to the fabric of our society.”

Randolph County Commission President Mike Taylor welcomed those in attendance to the ceremony Monday and said commitments to the project by local agencies and organizations show a desire to keep Armstrong Flooring in Randolph County. During an Aug. 2 Randolph County Commission meeting, commissioners voted unanimously to make a $100,000 contribution to the project.

“I, along with my fellow commissioners Chris See and Mark Scott, are proud to support the expansion of Armstrong Flooring in Beverly. We appreciate the hard work and dedication of the Armstrong employees that have made this project necessary. We happily welcome the additional investment being made in the county by Armstrong Flooring, led by Armstrong President Don Maier,” Taylor said.

“Finally, we commend the tireless effort and determination of our development authority board to facilitate a path to make this project a reality. It is my hope that the commitments made by the Randolph County Commission for this project indicate our strong desire to ensure a strong and healthy economy in Randolph County,” he continued.

Robbie Morris, Randolph County Development Authority executive director, said Armstrong Flooring has provided an economic boost to the county for nearly three decades.

“When this plant opened in 1989, it forever changed the landscape of the Randolph County economy. Nearly 30 years later, this expansion will again forever alter the economic landscape of our local economy,” Morris said. “While the direct job retention and growth on this project is significant, the indirect jobs this project secures and strengthens throughout our region can not be understated.”

Morris explained the expansion project was a collaborative effort between Armstrong Flooring and Capito’s office; the United States Economic Development Administration; the West Virginia Economic Development Authority; the West Virginia Division of Highways; the West Virginia Development Office; the Region 7 Planning and Development Council; the Randolph County Commission; the West Virginia Hardwood Alliance Zone; Davis Trust Company; Citizens Bank of West Virginia; Mountain Valley Bank; Paramount Builders; Pickering and Associates; Spilman, Thomas and Battle Law Firm; Busch, Zurbuch and Thompson Law Firm; the town of Beverly Utility Board; Randolph County Development Authority.

“As you can see, with all the agencies, people and government officials it took to get this project to happen, nothing has been simple about it. Many of the people working on this project are here today and, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank them for everything they did to make this project happen. …,” Morris said.

“To the hundreds of employees here at the Beverly plant, none of this would be possible without your hard work and dedication to your job. The ladies and gentlemen that work at this plant are some of the hardest-working people that I’ve ever had the pleasure to be around,” he continued. “Not only are they skilled craftsmen, they are baseball coaches, school volunteers and friendly neighbors. They are what keeps Randolph County ticking and we should all be grateful for what they provide to our economy and our people.”

Morris added this expansion will be the “largest project directly involving the Randolph County Development Authority in its history.”

Blaine Emery, Armstrong Flooring Beverly plant manager, said he anticipates a “record year” of sales, prompting a need for the expansion.

“This will all be the warehouse which will allow us to consolidate our finished goods. This is the largest pre-finished hardwood flooring plant in North America. We’ve got over 200,000 feet per day of finished flooring coming out of here and we are going to make 52 million feet of flooring this year. It’s going to be a record year for us,” Emery said.

Emery added the company currently has approximately 630 employees and this expansion will add up to 50 additional jobs.

“This is a 20-year anchor for this plant. We’ve got over 630 employees here and this is a 50-employee project over the next 10 years. That’s phenomenal,” Emery said. “As a West Virginia boy, for me to be a part of this is amazing. I love seeing growth, I love seeing investment in our state and we don’t get to advertise these things enough. To have the largest manufacturer of hardwood flooring in West Virginia, more folks need to know that, and to see an $8.7 million investment in West Virginia to expand that, we should all be very proud of that as West Virginians.”

Following Emery, Ryan Thorn, economic development manager for Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va., read from a statement prepared by Manchin.

“Since 1989, Armstrong has helped show the entire nation that West Virginia is truly a great place to do business. This company stays true to the same core values and principles regarding customer service that we do here in our state, which makes the Beverly plant a perfect location for their business,” Thorn read.

Armstrong Flooring is the largest pre-finished hardwood flooring plant in the country. Made possible by a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the project was announced by Capito, along with federal, state and local officials, the Randolph County Development Authority and Armstrong leaders in October.

The distribution center project also is expected to help retain 60 existing jobs and generate approximately $16.2 million in private investment, officials said during the October announcement.

Opened in 1989 along U.S. 250 south of Beverly, the Armstrong facility produces flooring from oak, hickory and maple, and currently employs more than 600 people. Plans call for the new construction to begin this summer and be completed in the summer of 2019.

The project will enable Armstrong to consolidate storage of its finished flooring products at the plant, instead of shipping products to off-site distribution centers. Additional space also will be available for potential future expansion of manufacturing capacity, officials said.

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