Vanguard Furniture Opens Virginia Plant: 200 Jobs Created
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Vanguard Furniture Opens Virginia Plant: 200 Jobs CreatedRICHMOND, VA - Vanguard Furniture will invest $550,000 to open its first residential furniture operation in Virginia. The high-end upholstery and casegoods furniture manufacturer will use an existing 116,000-square-foot facility in Carroll County for its production, creating more than 200 jobs over the next five years.

Family-owned and based in North Carolina, Vanguard Furniture has five manufacturing buildings in Conover, NC, and a 40,000-square-foot showroom in High Point. The company currently has 500 employees.

"Our company has experienced unprecedented growth over the last few years, and we feel the need to expand our operations," said Andy Bray, Vanguard Furniture president. "The communities surrounding our new facility in Carroll County, like Galax and Mt. Airy, North Carolina, have proud traditions of manufacturing quality upholstered furniture. We anticipate our new facility will attract some of the finest craftsmen in this area.”

In making the July 15 announcement, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe said, “Vanguard is able to take advantage of an available facility that will allow a quick start-up to production, and Southwest Virginia offers an abundant workforce with a skill set in the furniture industry. Carroll County has gone to great lengths to meet the company’s needs and ensure that the Carroll County Industrial Park site will be home to Vanguard’s first Virginia operation.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Carroll County, the Carroll County Industrial Development Authority, and Virginia’s aCorridor to help secure the project. Funding and services to support the company’s employee training activities will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

“Southwest Virginia has a rich history in the furniture industry, and the addition of over 200 new jobs paying above the average prevailing wage is significant news for a region that continues to rebound economically,” said Maurice Jones, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade.

According to The Carroll News, Vanguard Furniture will pay an average wage of $16-$25 an hour, with salaries ranging from $42,000 and $45,000 per year.

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