Mountville, Pa.—AHF Products has entered into an agreement to acquire two W.Va. sawmills to augment the supply of lumber to AHF’s Beverly, W.Va., solid wood flooring manufacturing facility.
“The purchase of these two sawmills is a wonderful and smart investment,” said Brian Carson, AHF president/CEO. “It helps ensure lumber supply for our Beverly, W.Va., plant and it is essential to our customers and employees who rely on our supply of hardwood flooring. It’s a great day for employees, customers and suppliers.”
Under the agreement, AHF acquired assets related to Allegheny Wood Products’ (AWP) sawmills in Smoot, Greenbrier County and Norton, Randolph County.
AHF said it will be saving approximately 80 direct jobs at the two mills, which were originally slated to close at the end of March, and is expected to create approximately two times that, with new jobs being created for loggers, truckers and suppliers in the region.
“These mills assure AHF direct access to a high-quality timber supply, which will provide more than 20% of the required supply at full capacity of flooring production,” said Jake Loftis, COO, AHF. “AWP was 12% of total supply at peak, so we have more than replaced the lost supply.”
The supply of Eastern hardwood lumber in the U.S. is currently 65% of what it was pre-pandemic and 40% of what it was before 2007. The purchase of the two sawmills recovers 100% of the lumber supply AHF would have lost due to the closure of AWP and secures a consistent lumber supply to protect AHF customers. These two mills combined will supply 25 million board feet annually.
“We are excited to add this capability to AHF and operate the mills at a capacity that will positively impact people and these two communities,” Loftis said. “It’s another key step to ensure AHF’s success now and into the future. It is a winning situation all the way around.”