-  Southern Finishing Company, Inc. will consolidate its eastern U.S. prefinished cabinetry and furniture components production in the former Hooker Manufacturing building, investing $1.7 million in the operations in the City of Martinsville. The move merges the company's North Carolina and Virginia operations as Southern Finishing seeks greater efficiency and cost cutting from economies of scale and improved logistics.

The consolidation to Martinsville includes manufacturing and distribution operations currently located in North Carolina in the former Hooker Manufacturing building, located across the street from Southern Finishing's existing Martinsville location. The project will create 67 new jobs, according to a statement from Virginia Gov. McDonnell.

"The fact that a former furniture manufacturing facility was available and equipped to meet the company's needs ensured Martinsville as Southern Finishing's pick for the consolidation of its eastern U.S. operations," said Gov.McDonnell.

Hooker, also based in Martinsville, has been restructuring its manufacturing operations. It announced it would transition frame production from its Bradington-Young Woodleaf, NC plant (a leased facility) to its Bradington-Young Cherryville, NC plant by the end of December 2009, then unsuccessfully tried to sell the frame production operation, including the associated machinery, as an ongoing business.>>

Privately-owned Southern Finishing Company, founded in 1978, employs more than 240, and specializes in prefinished wood mouldings (manufacturing 35 million linear feet per year), accessories, panels, doors, kitchen and bath cabinet components, and bedrails for customers such as American Woodmark, Marsh Furniture, Armstrong Cabinets, Thomasville Furniture, Empire Today, Yorktown, Masco Builders Cabinet Group, Salamander, Hooker Furniture and PlyGem>>.