Governor Ralph Northam announced that Ison Furniture Manufacturing, Inc. will invest $3.5 million to acquire and renovate the recently closed A.C. Furniture Company, Inc. facility in Pittsylvania County.
The company will also purchase new equipment for the assembly and full production of its upholstered furniture products. Virginia successfully competed with North Carolina for the project, which will create 150 new jobs.
The company’s supplier, Dogwood Global, LLC, will locate to a vacant 30,000-square-foot building onsite, investing $500,000 in new equipment and adding 45 new jobs to manufacture high-end wood tables and custom furniture frames that will be upholstered by Ison Furniture.
Ison Furniture Manufacturing, Inc. produces contemporary furniture for consumer and hospitality markets. The company has two facilities in North Carolina, and the new operation represents its first in Virginia.
The former A.C. Furniture Company in Pittsylvania County operated from 1977 to March 2020 and developed a strong textiles and furniture workforce in the region. As part of the project, Ison will also utilize excess upholstery and sewing capacity at the facility to manufacture personal protective equipment products to support the local COVID-19 response.
Governor Northam approved a $186,500 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Pittsylvania County with the project.
The Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission approved $86,500 from the Tobacco Region Opportunity Fund (TROF). Funding and services to support Ison Furniture’s employee training activities will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program. The Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission also approved $23,500 from TROF for Dogwood Global, LLC. ■
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