(The Center Square) – A $115 million sawmill operation creating 130 jobs will be built in Kellyton, Alabama and Coosa County officials said Thursday.
Yellow pine lumber will be produced for Demopolis-based Two Rivers Lumber. According to the Alabama Department of Commerce, those jobs will pay an average of slightly more than $51,000 per year.
“We are happy to be expanding Two Rivers in the state of Alabama and in Coosa County,” said Jay McElroy, one of the co-owners of Two Rivers Lumber. “We spent over a year searching for a site and planning the project – we look forward to starting up the new operation in August 2025. The local and state support has been great throughout this process.”
The Lake Martin Area Industrial Development Authority, a quasi-public entity, will supply 110 acres of land for the development worth $2.2 million while the state of Alabama will supply job training and other services.
Coosa County beat out a site in Mississippi for the project. Two Rivers already has a facility in Demopolis with an annual capacity of 200 million board feet and 145 full-time employees.
“I appreciate the support that the Coosa County Commission and Alexander City Mayor Woody Baird and his team have shown me throughout this almost 10-month recruiting process,” Denise Walls, executive director of the Lake Martin Area Economic Development Alliance, said in a news release. “We all felt like this was a project worth fighting for, and we are excited that Two Rivers will make Coosa County their new home. The local impact of this project will be profound and far-reaching.”
The Economic Development Partnership of Alabama says the third-largest timberland base in the nation has nearly 23 million acres. The state’s forest product industry generates $4 billion for the state’s economy and employs 18,941 at 403 facilities statewide.
“This growth project will have a significant impact on Coosa County and cast many economic ripples throughout the region,” said Gov. Kay Ivey in a news release. “Alabama’s forest products industry is a national powerhouse, and it’s great to see Two Rivers Lumber continue to grow in its home state.”