Wilson Lumber expanding truss operations into Tennessee

Westmoreland is about to get 40 new jobs in the old Expo Center; it’s just ‘the beginning’. Westmoreland is about to get its largest employer, paying well above minimum wage, thanks to an expansion of Alabama-based Wilson Lumber Company.

“This is definitely going to allow Westmoreland to be more self-sustaining,” said Andy Leath, chairman of the Westmoreland Industrial Development Board.

Wilson Lumber signed a lease for the 30,000-square-foot space in the Westmoreland Business Center, formerly the Westmoreland Expo Center at 4011 Fleetwood Drive. The company intends to launch a portion of the business in February 2019.

“This announcement is an incredible opportunity for our city, and I believe it is the biggest jobs announcement in the last 25 years,” Mayor Jerry Kirkman said in a news release. “The future is bright for Westmoreland.”

The board has wanted to promote this space to a business for five years after determining the expo center was not the best use for the space, Leath said. Last year, the board received a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to build a fire wall in the building, which was the final hurdle.

A 70-year-old family-owned company, Wilson Lumber expects to bring 40 jobs to the Westmoreland site and a capital investment in the millions, according to the news release. The space will be used as a roof truss facility, which will help the company grow and serve Tennessee’s construction market.

“Our corporate culture fits perfectly with the Westmoreland business-friendly and family-first culture, and we look forward to putting local residents to work in their hometown and being the employer of their choice,” Robb Wilson, President/CEO of Wilson Lumber, said in a prepared statement.

Forward Sumner Economic Partnership was instrumental in connecting the community with the company.

This article originally appeared in The Tennessean on Nov. 26, 2018.