Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Henry County to see 67 new furniture jobs by fall
Indiana-based company announces plans for new plant after choosing Virginia over Indiana and North Carolina.
An Indiana-based manufacturer of furniture for hotels, institutions and offices will open a plant in Henry County that will create 67 jobs.
Kimball Hospitality Inc., a subsidiary of Kimball International Inc., will invest $1 million and will receive $205,000 in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds for the new plant, according to a statement today from Gov. Bob McDonnell, who hailed Henry County as “the perfect fit” for Kimball because of the region’s history of furniture manufacturing.
“We believe this combination of the area’s experience and dedication to excellence, along with our existing global presence and financial strength, will not only support our growth strategy but also add increased value to both new and existing customer relationships,” said Jim Thyen, president and CEO of Kimball International.
Kimball International, based in Jasper, Ind., employs 6,157 people worldwide and reported net sales of $1.2 billion in 2009. It has U.S. manufacturing plants in Indiana, Kentucky, Idaho, California, Florida.
Kimball will retrofit an existing building in the county's Patriot Centre at Beaver Creek industrial park once used as a finishing facility by another furniture company, according to Mark Heath, president/ CEO of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp. The renovations should be completed by the fall with the plant in operation soon thereafter.
Henry County and Martinsville have been two of Virginia’s hardest-hit localities in the recession. Martinsville had the commonwealth’s highest unemployment rate in May, at 20.3 percent, while Henry County’s rate was at 14.2 percent.
Kimball Hospitality Inc., a subsidiary of Kimball International Inc., will invest $1 million and will receive $205,000 in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds for the new plant, according to a statement today from Gov. Bob McDonnell, who hailed Henry County as “the perfect fit” for Kimball because of the region’s history of furniture manufacturing.
“We believe this combination of the area’s experience and dedication to excellence, along with our existing global presence and financial strength, will not only support our growth strategy but also add increased value to both new and existing customer relationships,” said Jim Thyen, president and CEO of Kimball International.
Kimball International, based in Jasper, Ind., employs 6,157 people worldwide and reported net sales of $1.2 billion in 2009. It has U.S. manufacturing plants in Indiana, Kentucky, Idaho, California, Florida.
Kimball will retrofit an existing building in the county's Patriot Centre at Beaver Creek industrial park once used as a finishing facility by another furniture company, according to Mark Heath, president/ CEO of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp. The renovations should be completed by the fall with the plant in operation soon thereafter.
Henry County and Martinsville have been two of Virginia’s hardest-hit localities in the recession. Martinsville had the commonwealth’s highest unemployment rate in May, at 20.3 percent, while Henry County’s rate was at 14.2 percent.
