A vacant 550,000-square-foot building converted into a new southern yellow pine sawmill, bringing new industry, jobs, and capital investment to Abbeville, Alabama.
PROJECT LOCATION:
Abbeville, Alabama
THE PROJECT:
In 2008, Abbeville’s major employer, West Point Pepperell, closed, eliminating 1,300 jobs in a town of 2,900 people. Rembrandt Foods continued to operate in the building until it also closed in 2019, eliminating 65 more jobs. Great Southern Wood Holdings, Inc. (GSW), purchased the 550,000-square-foot facility to convert into a new southern yellow pine sawmill, now known as Abbeville Fiber. The new sawmill produces dimensional lumber to be shipped to GSW’s treatment plants across the country, utilizing GSW affiliate Greenbush Logistics, Inc.’s fleet of more than 200 trucks and 400 trailers.
COMMUNITY IMPACTS:
- Create 36 construction jobs.
- Create and maintain 115 permanent full-time jobs.
- Increase average wage to $22.00/hour, twice the local living wage, as well as provide employer-sponsored benefits like health insurance and retirement savings plans for permanent employees.
- The City of Abbeville reports a 20% increase in tax revenue compared to the previous year.
- Nearly $1 million invested by the State of Alabama, Henry County Commission, and City of Abbeville in the city’s main railroad as a result of Abbeville Fiber.
COMMUNITY PROFILE:
- 29% poverty rate
- 9% unemployment rate
- Henry County designated Alabama Enterprise Zone
FINANCING:
- Total Project Cost: $40 million
- Federal NMTC Allocation: $30 million
- State NMTC Allocation: $29.4 million
PROJECT PARTNERS:
- United Fund Advisors (National Community Fund I, LLC)
- SunTrust Community Capital, LLC
- State of Alabama
- Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT)
- Great Southern Wood Holdings, Inc. (GSW)
- Greenbush Logistics, Inc. (GSW affiliate)
