July 1, 2021 11:00 a.m.

In the KQEN Business Spotlight:

Roseburg Forest Products will expand its operations in the southeastern United States with the construction of a high-capacity lumber mill in Weldon, North Carolina.

The state’s Governor Roy Cooper announced the project on July 1st at a joint news conference with officials representing Roseburg, the state of North Carolina and the town of Weldon.

Corporate Communications Director Rebecca Taylor said the new 375,000 square-foot facility will be called Roanoke Valley Lumber and will be located on approximately 200 acres of land in Halifax County. Taylor said construction on the state-of-the-art sawmill is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2022. Startup is set for later next year. Taylor said the new mill will be one of the highest-capacity sawmills on the east coast, capable of producing as many as 400 million board feet of dimensional lumber per year.

Roseburg President and CEO Grady Mulbery said, “Low interest rates, a surge in home remodeling, and growing demand for single-family housing are pushing the industry to increase domestic lumber production capacity as quickly as possible”. Mulbery said the new mill is “…an exciting strategic growth opportunity that integrates well with our other North American operations and client base”. Mulbery said he is grateful to the partners that make the project possible.

Taylor said Roseburg is already the largest private timberland owner in the Roanoke Valley area, following its 2017 purchase of 158,000 acres of timberland in North Carolina and Virginia. Once completed, the mill will also make Roseburg a significant employer in the area, with 137 new jobs anticipated over the first two years.

A release said Roseburg currently has 14 manufacturing facilities in North America, including the country’s second largest short lumber stud mill in Dillard. Taylor said the company carefully selected the site for the new mill, with criteria including market demand, business climate and workforce readiness at the top of the list. The selected site’s proximity to the company’s Roanoke Rapids timber management office, was a factor as well.