National Hardwood Magazine - April 2022

POWELL VALLEY MILLWORK Continued from page 29
Here is an aerial view of one of Powell Valley’s manufacturing
facilities located east of Lexington, KY.
This Kentucky facility harbors state-of-the-art technology
with a recent expansion completed to maximize productivity.
In 2019, Powell Valley installed a cross-cut line
from Eagle Machinery & Supply Inc., based in Sugarcreek,
OH. Despite the company’s strong advancements,
the workforce shortage is Thornberry’s primary
concern.
“If you asked me what my top five concerns are: number
one, two and three are workforce,” he said.
Although the company is regularly advertising job
openings using all platforms available, Powell Valley
has nearly 50 open positions between its two locations.
In 2019, Powell Valley upgraded their scanning and crosscut line
by partnering with Eagle Machinery & Equipment.
Consequently, the company has had to make difficult
decisions regarding their supply relationships due to capacity
constraints.
“Despite the workforce concerns, we see real opportunity
for increased domestic manufacturing in the coming
years,” Thornberry said. “We remain optimistic about our
growth at Powell Valley and others in the millwork business.”
Together through the Kentucky Forest Industries Association
(KFIA), Thornberry and 48 other signers peti-
The heartbeat of Powell Valley’s manufacturing is in finger-joint
Poplar production, operating five finger-joint lines.
tioned Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear to phase out
their state’s participation in the Federal Pandemic Unemployment
Compensation (FPUC) program. This federal
assistance program arose to provide financial relief
for those whose jobs were affected by COVID-19.
“Our letter to the governor was a plea for help. I believe
our state and federal government missed the mark by
keeping people on the sidelines when employers across
the country needed more workers. We saw an overall
Powell Valley purchases approximately 20 million board feet of
green Poplar lumber annually from sawmills in the Appalachian
region.
increase in applicants and higher caliber applicants once
the enhanced benefits ran out last fall. Though we are
not at full capacity yet, I expect we will reach that level
during the second half of this year,” Thornberry added.
The Kentucky Forest Economic Impact Report of 2020
states that the forest and wood industries contribute a direct
economic impact of $9.55 billion, employing approximately
60,000 individuals statewide, including those in
rural and distressed counties. n
To learn more about Powell Valley, visit www.pvmillwork.com.
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