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Date |
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2/26/2004 |
Economic Development |
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B & W Fiber Glass To Invest $3 Million and Add 15 Jobs |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 26, 2004
Company Announces New Facility in Cleveland County
(Cleveland County, NC) – The Economic Development department of the Cleveland County Chamber is pleased to announce the addition of a new company to Cleveland County.
B & W Fiber Glass, a 14-year-old company based in Forest City, NC will build a 42,000 square foot manufacturing complex on Highway 74 west of Shelby. Over the next three years, the company is expected to hire 30 to 40 employees.
B & W Fiber Glass is owned by Bill and Pam Beason of Lake Lure, North Carolina. An investment of $3 million is anticipated. The facility in Cleveland County will manufacture specialized products for industrial applications utilizing proprietary technology. Plant construction is currently underway with a June 1 completion date and operations will begin with 15 to 20 employees.
“The Cleveland County Chamber and county commissioners were very helpful and supportive of our objectives,” said Bill Beason, President and CEO of B & W Fiber Glass. “Their initiative and assistance made the selection of Cleveland County an easy decision.”
County commission chairwoman Mary Accor believes the new company will find much success in Cleveland County. “Some people might say that 15 jobs aren’t going to have much of an impact on our local economy,” said Accor. “But 15 jobs will help 15 families who are struggling to make a life for themselves in Cleveland County. We are so pleased that B & W Fiber Glass is confident enough in our county to make such a significant investment here.”
Chamber President Stuart Gilbert said that once again, a team effort was necessary to attract the company to Cleveland County. “The Cleveland County Commissioners are to be commended for rezoning the property to allow for this industry,” said Gilbert. “Although Scott Darnell (Sr. VP of Economic Development) has only been on board for six months, we appreciate all of the work he has been doing to bear the fruit of new jobs in Cleveland County.”
According to Bill Beason, the company has grown from extremely humble beginnings. B & W Fiber Glass began in 1990 as an international consulting company. Six years later, with an entrepreneurial spirit and a belief that more could be done with fiber glass, Beason rented approximately 150 square feet in a Gastonia warehouse with just an overhead light bulb and says he “began playing with some material and a welder.” This was the beginning of the manufacturing component of the company. From his experimentation, several products were created. The proprietary technology was developed in 1996 and the company has introduced several new products as a result. The company currently has a 27,000 square foot manufacturing facility and warehouse located at 111 Fairhope Street in Forest City. A majority of the company’s operations will move to Cleveland County upon completion of the new building in June.
While the nature of the business is extremely competitive, officials have revealed that the company is a producer of texturized/bulky fiber glass (E glass) for the pultrusion industry and other texturized products for high-temperature applications. Their products are sold to domestic and international clients, primarily outside the state of North Carolina. Currently, there are other processes under development that will be produced in the new facility.
The new manufacturing complex is located at 4222 West Dixon Boulevard near Shelby. The Chamber would like to thank the NC Department of Transportation and developer Bill Chambless for their assistance with this project.
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