Mobile Chamber Announces Expansion at Great Southern Wood Treatment Facility

The Mobile Chamber is proud to announce an expansion project at the existing Great Southern Wood treatment facility in Mobile County.

At a Glance:

$13.7 Million Capital Investment

12 New Jobs

78 Retained Jobs

Great Southern Wood produces and distributes appearance-grade, pressure-treated lumber marketed for decks, fences and landscaping projects under the YellaWood brand; other brands include N-Durz, FlameFreez and RainWood.

The nearly $14 million expansion project will improve traffic flow, storage, and their ability to process imports and exports through the Port of Mobile. It will create 12 new jobs and retain 78 current positions.

Jimmy Rane, Great Southern’s founder, president and CEO, said, “This expansion in Mobile is the next step in our long-term commitment to Mobile and the entire Gulf Coast region. Very early in our company’s history, we identified Mobile and the Gulf Coast region as a key growth area. As a result, we built our second treating plant in Mobile County in 1976. Since then, we’ve experienced consistent growth, and this new investment of roughly $13.7 million will help set the path to future growth in the years to come. The project will expand the current footprint of the facility and will allow for improved traffic flow and therefore increased safety. In addition, the project will allow greater expansion of our distribution products business through increased storage as well as improved ability to warehouse, store and process import and export material through the Port of Mobile. To help accommodate our growth, the existing office and manufacturing space at the location will be renovated, and we also expect our workforce to increase.”

Rane continued, “We have a very strong leadership team and workforce in Mobile, and this expansion makes a strong statement about our ongoing commitment to our team, the Mobile community and the residential, construction and industrial markets we serve from this facility. We couldn’t be more excited about this expansion—not only what it means for our company, but what it means for Mobile and the Gulf Coast region as well.”

The Great Southern Wood expansion builds on the Mobile area’s growing logistics and distribution network.

“It’s all about being more efficient when getting products to suppliers,” said Mobile Chamber President & CEO Bradley Byrne. “This is not only an investment into the Great Southern Wood facility, but an investment into the growth and expansion of the port.”

“Mobile County Commission is pleased that Great Southern Wood’s Treatment Facility expansion project will infuse construction dollars, retain jobs and create new jobs in Mobile County. Decisions to expand, like this one, demonstrate Mobile County’s quality workforce and growing logistics capacity,” said District 3 Commissioner Randall Dueitt.

Alabama Power has been a strategic partner in this expansion project.

“Great Southern Wood’s expansion in Irvington is an impactful success story for economic development in our state,” said Leigh Davis, vice president of Economic and Community Development at Alabama Power. “We are proud to be one of the partners supporting the continued growth of this company and this industry.”

Great Southern Wood has been a strong community partner in Irvington since the treatment facility opened in 1976.

“Great Southern Wood’s expansion project will preserve and create jobs at its Mobile facility while also supporting the growth of the region’s distribution and logistics infrastructure,” said Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “In addition, the investment reflects the company’s commitment to a community that values it as a long-standing partner.”

They plan to break ground on the expansion project in January 2023 and anticipate completing the project by the end of February 2024.

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About Great Southern Wood: Great Southern Wood Preserving, Incorporated, was founded in 1970 in Abbeville, Alabama. Today, Great Southern Wood and its subsidiaries employ 1,800 people who operate 37 distribution locations with a coverage area that covers all or parts of 28 states and the District of Columbia, as well as much of the Caribbean and Latin America, and part of the European Union, Mediterranean region and China. The company is best known to consumers as the maker of YellaWood® brand pressure treated pine. YellaWood® brand products are easily identifiable by a distinctive yellow tag and have long been recognized by consumers, professional builders, architects and specifiers for quality and dependability. Full-service lumber treating plants are located in Abbeville, AL; Conyers, GA; Mobile, AL; Muscle Shoals, AL; Columbus, TX; Bushnell, FL; Jesup, GA; Buckner, MO; Glenwood, AR; Brookhaven, MS; Mansura, LA; Fombell, PA; Hagerstown, MD; Rocky Mount, VA; and Millwood, KY. These facilities service Do-It-Yourself retail home centers, pro dealers, and other retail building-related and industrial segments. The company has also diversified into logistics, distribution of alternative building products, remanufacturing operations, and sawmill operations. For more information, visit yellawood.com.