MOBILE, Ala. - Canfor Southern Pine, the U.S. lumber operation of Canfor Corp., has announced plans to open an official U.S. headquarters to Mobile, Alabama. Canfor Southern Pine encompasses 14 manufacturing facilities, which produce 1.4 billion board feet of southern yellow pine lumber as well as engineered wood products, said Fred Stimpson, Canfor Southern Pine president.

Headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canfor (TSX:CFP) has had a presence in the southern United States for approximately 10 years, including acquisitions in the past three years of Anthony Forest Products, Southern Lumber Co., Balfour Lumber Co. and Beadles Lumber Co., and Scotch Gulf Lumber. Along with the move to a larger location in Mobile, Alabama, Canfor Southern Pine also has an office in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, that will continue to operate as usual, Stimpson said.

"As a result of our successful expansion, we have outgrown our corporate office space in Mobile, Alabama. As such, we have made plans to move to a new larger space in Mobile later this year." Stimpson said. "This new Mobile office will become the official headquarters for our Canfor Southern Pine operations, which allows us to access generous financial incentives from the state and county governments that will go a long way to offset our costs. These contributions were approved earlier this week, and we are grateful to Mobile County and the State of Alabama for their support and enthusiasm to host our new office."

The company said it plans to add 20 jobs when it opens the new office. Overall, Canfor Southern Pine has nearly 1,900 employees in the southern United States, according to information from the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce.

Troy Wayman, vice president of economic development for the Mobile Area Chamber, added, “This is a great example of the benefits of a recruitment and a retention program we provide through the Mobile Area Chamber’s economic development program.”