Area Development
Abbeville Fiber officially opened their state-of-the-art sawmill that will employ 115 people in Henry County, Alabama.

Abbeville Fiber’s lone client will be Great Southern Wood Preserving Inc., part of the Alabama-based Great Southern Wood family of companies that operates internationally.

Jimmy Rane, President & CEO of Great Southern Wood, said, “With the opening of the sawmill, we will be continuing to invest in our most valuable resource, the people in our hometown and throughout the entire Wiregrass.”

“This state-of-the-art facility is not just about producing the highest quality wood products, it is about empowering people to provide a better life for their families and building a stronger, more prosperous community for all of us,” Rane said.

The facility, which received its first load of logs on July 8 and currently employs 65 people will utilize 40-45 truckloads of locally sourced logs per day. Over the next 12 to 15 months, the sawmill will increase production and employ 115. At that time, the facility will repurpose 80 to 90 truckloads of logs per day.

“What I have seen here today represents the best of Alabama, good people who are proud of their work and doing it to the best of their ability,” Governor Kay Ivey, who toured the facility. “There is an atmosphere of enthusiasm here, a belief that the future holds great promise. The workers here are a part of building something special for the local community and our state.”