ADVANCE, NC - The nation's largest furniture manufacturer, Ashley Furniture, just got bigger following the grand opening of its 1.1 million square foot expansion in Davie County, North Carolina.

The completion of Phase 2 of the project brings Ashley Furniture's manufacturing and distribution complex to 2.8 million square feet. According to news reports, with the new facility Ashley will have created more than 657 new  jobs in the county. Plans call for the complex to employ approximately 800 people when it is fully operational by the end of the year. (Watch the Fox 8 News video, below.)

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory, Senator Richard Burr and Congresswoman Virginia Foxx were among the dignitaries attending the October 17 event.

The company broke ground on Phase 2 of the estimated $80 million project in April 2013. Founded in 1945, Ashley Furniture, based in Arcadia, WI, has grown to become the nation's largest furniture manufacturer, with more than 11 million square feet of domestic manufacturing, warehouse and distribution space.