ROCKINGHAM — More jobs are coming to Richmond County after a Wisconsin-based company chose to expand its operations, according to company and county officials.
Construction has already begun on a new facility at the Airport Road site for North Carolina Industrial Sand, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Red Flint Group.
“After an exhaustive search for a location to expand our business, Red Flint Group is pleased to have found a home in Richmond County,” Cyrus W. Ingraham, executive vice president, said in a statement. “Part of the reason for selecting Richmond County was due to the support of the local county officials and the community. We look forward to to becoming a valuable contributor to the success of the area.”
The parent company, headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, was founded in 1917 and produces sand and gravel products utilized mainly for water filtration, according to its website. Industrial sand is used for the removal of heavy rust, epoxy paints, concrete, mill scale rust and paint from steel surfaces.
“We welcome North Carolina Industrial Sand to Richmond County and look forward to the construction of their new facility on Airport Road,” Kenneth Robinette, chairman of the board of commissioners, said in a statement. “We thank Red Flint and CSX for creating a partnership that helped bring this new business to our county.”
Commissioner Ben Moss said that in addition to the direct jobs provided, the new plant brings the potential of more opportunities for the sand-mining industry and additional trains for CSX’s Hamlet operation.
“It has the potential to provide a major positive impact on Richmond County and we are glad they decided to locate here,” he said in a statement.
Company officials have not yet said how many workers they plan to hire, what the average wage will be or when they plan to be operational.
Richmond County Economic Development, CSX and Richmond Community College are also credited in the announcement.
This is the fourth economic development announcement and the second new business to make a home in Richmond County this year.
Plastek announced in January that it would invest $2.5 million and hire 23 new employees to expand its facility on County Home Road. The following month, Perdue Foods declared its intent to invest $10.9 million and hire 30 new workers over the next three years at its chicken processing plant in Rockingham.
Last month, RSI Home Products held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new 300,000 square-foot manufacturing and distribution facility in the Richmond County Industrial Park. The cabinet maker, which also has a site in Lincoln County, is set to hire 175 employees and expects to open this fall.
Reach reporter William R. Toler at 910-817-2675 and follow him on Twitter @William_r_Toler.