DANVILLE, VA - GOK International, a Chinese wood furniture company, will develop an assembly and finishing plant in Ringgold, creating 300 jobs over the next three years, according to the Danville Industrial Development Authority (DIDA).

GOK, which specializes in commercial and institutional furniture, is expected to begin hiring many of the furniture assembly jobs inn early 2013 at an average annual wage of $30,000.

DIDA said GOK International will imports components from China but is committing to $12.6 million in capital investments between now and 2015 to convert the 40,000-square-foot Cane Creek Shell Building in Ringgold of Pittsylvania, VA, into a state-of-the-art furniture assembly and finishing plant and showroom. GOK will locate its sales and headquarters in the River District of Danville.

This represents the latest furniture-related coup for DIDA, which also lured Swedwood, IKEA's first and only U.S.manufacturing plant and more recently, Axxor Group and EBI LLC, both suppliers to Swedwood..

As part of the deal, DIDA is purchasing the Cane Creek Shell Building and will lease it to GOK. The project is being backed by a $1 million grant from the Tobacco Region Opportunity Fund.

Kevin Liao, president of GOK, said, “We have a very good relationship with Pittsylvania County and Danville, which is important for us in reaching a decision to make our first investment in the United States. The plant’s location is only an hour and fifteen minutes from the vast furniture markets of High Point."

Tim Barber, chairman of the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors, said, “We are excited to have a Chinese company agree to create new jobs and invest several million dollars in the region. The assembly jobs are much needed and will help re-employ our workforce.”

Delegate Danny Marshall, also a member of the Tobacco Commission, said, “The Tobacco Commission is all about improving the economy of the regions that it serves. This project is one which the Commission was able to support with a $1,000,000 grant from its Tobacco Region Opportunity Fund, and it is just the kind of project that we need in our community to improve our local economy.”