Tides and Times Group USA, Inc., a China-owned exporter of hardwood lumber to Asia, will expand its headquarters operation in Charlotte, North Carolina, adding 30 jobs. The company operates hardwood sawmills and lumber-drying facilities in the U.S. as well as sales offices and a distribution center in Asia.

TTG said it is grateful for the hospitality and support of the Charlotte Chamber, the Charlotte business community and the people of North Carolina.

Since 2009, TTG has purchased, reopened and improved seven facilities in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, including sawmills and hardwood dry kiln facilities. The company has created approximately 200 jobs, more than 140 of which were added in the state of North Carolina over the past three years, the Charlotte Chamber said. TTG expects to expand its business to New York, Pennsylvania and other Northern states in the near future.

Jimmy and Grace Lee, principals of TTG, initially came to the U.S. in 2004 to source hardwood lumber from American lumber manufacturers. As the market changed, the company changed strategy and began marketing lumber in Vietnam. The company is now one of the major oak-flooring suppliers to the U.S. flooring industry and one of the major hardwood lumber suppliers to overseas markets, especially China and Vietnam. Nearly 40 percent of annual exports are from the sawmills in the Carolinas and Virginia.