Hankins Lumber Company Reopening in Grenada County

Jun 25, 2013 - Grenada County, MS

Pablo Diaz, Executive Director, Grenada County Economic Development District

The Grenada County Economic Development District (the EDD) announced today that Hankins Lumber Company, a long-standing Grenada County company, is reopening its facility following about 15 months of closure because of the recent global economic recession that began in 2008.  This project represents a $1.5 million investment and is creating about 120 jobs, many of which will be filled by former employees who were working at the facility when it closed.

                “I am grateful to the team at Hankins Lumber Company for again placing its confidence in our business climate and trust in our workforce.  Hankins Lumber has been a great business partner to the state for more than 40 years, and I appreciate the company reinvesting in Mississippi,” said Gov. Phil Bryant.  “The reopening of this facility represents a new beginning for the company and for our economy, and I wish Hankins Lumber Company more years of success in Grenada.”

                “Hankins Lumber has been an important contributor in Grenada County since the 1970s.  We are excited about the reopening of the company and about the significant impact this will have on our local economy,” said Chad Bridges, president of the Grenada County Board of Supervisors.  “The timber business has always been a big part of Grenada and the reopening of Hankins Lumber, with its long, solid history of providing employment in our community, is very, very important to us.”

                Hankins Lumber has already begun the process of rehiring many of its long-time employees and anticipates a workforce of some 120.  It is anticipated that a significant number of additional indirect jobs will be created throughout the Grenada County area as a result of the company’s reopening.  Plans call for the company to invest more than $1.5 million to ready the facility for producing its widely-desired lumber products.

                Hankins Lumber Company, incorporated in 1972 and headquartered in Grenada, is a producer of southern yellow pine products and uses timber from throughout the State of Mississippi.  The company produces and supplies a variety of lumber and related products for commercial and residential clients throughout the state and the U.S., for both retail and wholesale markets.  Their products include dimension lumber, timbers, and boards, produced in a state-of-the-art operation.

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                “The Grenada EDD is honored to work with Hankins Lumber and we are excited about the jobs and investment that will be added to the local economy.  This company is a proud representation of the resilience of the people of Grenada, and we are thrilled to see that the Hankins history of success will continue to be written within our county limits,” said Pablo Diaz, Executive Director of the Grenada Economic Development District.

The Grenada EDD worked closely with Grenada County, Mississippi Development Authority (MDA), and company officials to facilitate the project and to secure an MDA Development Infrastructure Program grant that the county will use to rehabilitate a county-owned rail spur currently serving the company.

“Helping companies like Hankins Lumber Company restart its operations and rehire many of its former employees is an important part of what our agency does to help grow the economy in our state,” MDA Executive Director Brent Christensen said.  “We are grateful to the Grenada County Economic Development District and the Grenada County Board of Supervisors who worked with us to make this project a reality.”

“We are pleased that we are able to reopen our facility and bring our employees back to work,” said Al Hankins, company president.   It was difficult to have to close the operation down for any length of time, but with the resurgence of the housing market and the renewed demands for timber products, we believe it now makes economic sense to reinvest in the business.  We are eager to hire our employees back and get started.  We appreciate the county supervisors, the EDD, and the Mississippi Development Authority for working hand-in-hand with us to make this reopening possible.”

                Hankins is the second timber-related company in Grenada County to announce hiring plans this year.  In March, Fly Timber Company announced a major expansion that will create 30 direct jobs and some 75 indirect jobs.  With the Fly expansion and the reopening of Hankins Lumber, some 150 direct jobs have been added in the transportation and timber business in the regional economy.