RICHMOND - Governor Mark R. Warner today announced a $4.1 million investment by CTS&I, Inc., a wood manufacturing company that recently purchased Cooper Wood Products in Franklin County. With the investment, the company, which also operates in the City of Roanoke, will open CTS&I Millwork, Inc., in Rocky Mount and create 150 new jobs for Roanoke Valley residents. Virginia successfully competed with North Carolina for the project.
“CTS&I is a great corporate citizen providing valuable jobs for the people of the Roanoke Valley,” said Governor Warner. “The fact that this company has chosen Rocky Mount as the location for its new division demonstrates the faith the company has in the area’s workforce in providing for a bright and successful future.”
CTS&I Millwork, Inc., will manufacture architectural millwork products for use in the residential and commercial construction industry. The products, which include fireplace mantles, columns and specialty cabinetry, are designed and manufactured to exact detail of an architectural time period for ease of field installation. CTS&I Millwork will offer a turn-key approach to all products involved in construction of a project, which benefits contractors by reducing the amount of time spent outsourcing products from different suppliers.
“The Rocky Mount facility is very compatible with the needs of our manufacturing operations,” said Kevin Bowman, CTS&I President. “The recent layoff of Lane Furniture and Cooper Wood employees gives us a viable workforce of quality people to pull from for our hires. The fiscal location also is central to several major market areas that CTS&I Millwork, Inc., is targeting. Overall, it’s a great fit for our current goals and future plans for growth.”
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Franklin County and the Roanoke Valley Economic Development Partnership to prepare the state’s proposal and negotiate an incentive package to secure the project for Virginia. Governor Warner approved a $100,000 grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund and the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission approved $100,000 in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds to support Franklin County with the project. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide training through its Workforce Services Program.
“We are thrilled to welcome CTS&I Millwork to Franklin County,” said Wayne Angell, chairman of the Franklin County Board of Supervisors. “We believe our community’s workforce will help this company achieve success beyond its goals. We thank Governor Warner and the Tobacco Commission for their support in bringing this significant project to Franklin County.”