Governor will make economic development announcement in Dillwyn
Published 2:00 pm Friday, October 21, 2016
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Dr. Basil Gooden are set to make “an important economic development announcement” Thursday at Rock Wood Products north of Dillwyn.
Media outlets received invitations Friday afternoon from the Buckingham County Board of Supervisors.
Coatesville, Penn.-based John Rock Inc. purchased the 66-year-old then Pierce-Johnson Lumber Co. in May 2014. When the acquisition took place, John Rock named Tim Pierce the mill’s manager, a position he’d held for years.
In August 2014, Pierce-Johnson indicated the new firm planned on replacing the two mills with new equipment within the next two years.
Construction of a new facility at the business is evident. The frame of a large building, along with other mechanical ancillary facilities, has been erected behind the business’s office.
The announcement is set for 2:30 p.m.
“(I’m) real pleased,” John Rock President Bill MacCauley said at the time of the acquisition. “They’ve got a nice crew, and we just want to see it continue. They’re in a great area for logs and lumber, and we use a lot of it.”
During that interview, MacCauley said the company was in the process of evaluating the current mills and planned to upgrade some equipment.
“Depending on the market conditions and what we need … a lot of it’s going to depend on the market,” he said.