RICHMOND - Governor Mark R. Warner today announced that Franklin County-based MW Manufacturers will expand. The company will relocate its Lineal Technologies division from the City of Roanoke to Franklin County to increase production capacity in its extruded plastic component products line. The relocation represents a $4.7 million investment and a total of 130 jobs in Franklin County over the next 30 months, saving 70 existing jobs and creating 60 new ones. The division’s facility is located on a floodplain in the City of Roanoke and the company was unable to locate a suitable existing building there for the expansion. MW will relocate the division to an existing 100,000-square-foot facility in Franklin County’s Town of Rocky Mount. Virginia successfully competed with New Jersey for the investment.
“MW is Franklin County’s largest employer,” said Governor Warner. “I am pleased that the Commonwealth was able to assist this company at a critical time in its history, thus saving 70 existing jobs and creating 60 new jobs in a region where we’re working hard to keep and create jobs.”
MW Manufacturers Inc., headquartered in Franklin County’s Town of Rocky Mount, produces and distributes a wide range of window and door products for the residential construction industry. Founded in 1939, MW has expanded on a rich tradition in handcrafted millwork to become a major manufacturer of classic wood, clad and all-vinyl windows. MW currently operates manufacturing and distribution facilities in Rocky Mount; Hammonton, New Jersey; Fayetteville, North Carolina; and Tupelo, Mississippi. MW brands that include Freedom, V-Wood, Jefferson, Twinseal, and Patriot, are sold in retail building material dealers and home centers throughout the Eastern United States.
“It is our intention to partner with a locale that supports our efforts to grow as a business and to add value to the community,” said MW President & CEO, Michael P. Haley. “The Town of Rocky Mount, Franklin County and the Commonwealth of Virginia have demonstrated they share these objectives and were a major influence in our decision to relocate our Lineal division within Virginia.”
“MW Manufacturers has a rich history in Rocky Mount and Franklin County,” said Mark Newbill, Mayor of the Town of Rocky Mount. “We are so thankful of MW Manufacturers commitment to our community in the past and look forward to an even brighter future with this announcement.”
Governor Warner approved a $150,000 grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to assist Franklin County with the project. The county also obtained $150,000 in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds from the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission. MW will be eligible for tax credits because it is locating in an enterprise zone. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the Roanoke Valley Economic Development Partnership, Franklin County, and the Town of Rocky Mount assisted MW with its decision. The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation will assist with rail access funding and the Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide workforce training services.