Rambler Wood Products Locates Manufacturing Center in Saint Paul, Virginia
01/18/2021
The nearly 300,000-square-foot facility will make Rambler Wood Products the first business of its kind to operate entirely indoors, allowing for full-capacity production year-round. Through this project, the company is committing to source at least 55 percent of its timber from the Commonwealth, supporting regional loggers and forestland owners through the purchase of $22.3 million in Virginia-grown hardwoods over the next three years.
“Rambler Wood Products is proud to announce that Saint Paul, Virginia will be the home of our new state-of-the-art manufacturing operations,” said Rambler Wood Products Founder Mark Wadams. “Employees will be the driving force behind our success and we will offer high-quality, good paying jobs to local residents. In addition to contributing to the economic rejuvenation of the region, we are committed to being thoughtful stewards of the region’s natural resources by implementing sustainable practices and a ‘waste nothing’ philosophy throughout our operations.”
The Commonwealth is partnering with Russell County, the Russell County Industrial Development Authority (IDA) and the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) on this project through the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund, which is administered by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Governor Northam approved a $300,000 grant from the AFID Fund to secure the project for Virginia, which Russell County will match with local funds. Funding and services to support the company’s employee training activities will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.
“Rambler Wood Products’ unique, state-of-the art production facility will have a hugely positive impact on the Town of Saint Paul, Russell County, and Southwest Virginia,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. “The company’s commitment to creating 73 high-paying jobs and sourcing local timber will be a significant economic boost to the region, and we thank Rambler Wood for rehabilitating a shuttered facility and putting Virginians to work.”
“Companies like Rambler Wood Products provide important markets that help landowners across the Commonwealth sustain over 16 million acres of forestland,” said Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring. “These markets will help ensure that Virginia’s hardwood forests, which cover 78 percent of the Commonwealth and account for nearly half of the timber income produced in the state, are well managed with an eye to the future.”
Rambler will convert high-quality white oak into barrel staves for the West Virginia Great Barrel Company and other cooperages in the region. The facility will also use Red Oak and lower value hardwoods to produce dimensional lumber for sale to flooring manufacturers, pallet production, and for use in the mining industry. The wood residuals will be sold to paper companies or further manufactured into biomass products. The remaining wood chips and saw dust will be sold to paper manufactures or made into wood pellets. By being able to purchase all the tree species from a timber tract, Rambler is establishing a valuable new market for Virginia loggers and landowners that facilitates sustainable forest management in the region and helps to maintain Virginia’s vibrant hardwood forests.
“On behalf of the VCEDA, we would like to welcome Rambler Wood Products to Southwest Virginia’s and the jobs and investment that it will create,” said VCEDA Executive Director and General Counsel Jonathan Belcher. “VCEDA worked with the Russell County IDA to land the project and provided a $2.5 million loan to the IDA to acquire the facility for the project.”
Project Announcements
Blue Core Labs Establishes Beaver, Utah, Operations
05/16/2022
Breeze Aviation Group Expands Provo, Utah, Hub
05/16/2022
Milwaukee Tool Expands Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, Operations
05/16/2022
Trison Wells Establishes South Carolina, Operations
05/16/2022
France-Based Saint-Gobain ADFORS North America Expands Dublin, Georgia, Plant
05/13/2022
Moderna Plans Quebec, Canada, Manufacturing-Operations Campus
05/13/2022
Most Read
-
The Evolution of the Megasite
Q2 2022
-
36th Annual Corporate Survey: Executives Focus on Labor, Energy, Shipping Costs
Q1 2022
-
The 2021 Top States for Doing Business Reflect Their Locational Advantages
Q3 2021
-
18th Annual Consultants Survey: Access to Major Markets and Skilled Labor Are Clients’ Primary Concerns
Q1 2022
-
2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Recognize State and Local Economic Development Efforts
Q2 2021
-
Driving Into An Electric Vehicle Future
Q1 2022
-
Innovative and Collaborative Design Sets the Stage for Life Science Innovation
Q2 2022