Officials get update on Reed's Metals expansion
Monday, March 10, 2008
Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Cliff Brumfield and county supervisors met Thursday morning with Reed's Metals, Inc. owner Bernard Reeds to discuss his company's recent expansion and the potential benefits it may bring to the county's economy.
"Any time that we have expansion of the magnitude of that at Reed's Metals, it warrants us getting up to speed on their investments and the improvements they've made," Brumfield said. "Our local leaders always like to stay apprised of what's happening with our local business base."
As the first step in a plan to expand its market from a residential to a commercial construction base, Reed's Metals recently added a 28,800-square-foot building in which to house several new pieces of equipment that are forthcoming.
"Now, we have a lot more machinery, more room for the commercial side of the business," Reed said.
The company will soon possess new equipment to streamline and increase its ability to manufacture metal roofs and buildings, including one machine that will snap-lock panels together for increased wind resistance. The 140 mph wind tolerance of the panels has increased Reed's Metals' sales in coastal areas.
The company is also purchasing new software that contains information on the building codes for every county in the country. By entering a ZIP code of a proposed building site into the software, the company can design a structure in accordance with an area's building codes and quote an estimate to the buyer in as little as 20 minutes.
These and other advancements are helping Reed's Metals expand into the markets of other states.
"We're really optimistic about being able to grow our business another 20 percent over last year," Reed said. "We're hoping that, by the end of the year, we'll be able to expand up from 16 to 25 employees. We'll be able to bring a lot of business in from out of state and put a lot of tax money back into the county."
Though Reed's Metals is not the type of massive industry commonly associated with economic development, Brumfield said such companies play in an important part in the county's economy.
"We're concerned about our small, one- or two-employee retailers and other businesses as much as we are about large employers," he said. "They do have an impact on our economy on several levels.
"It's these types of industries that provide the majority of the employment that fuels our local economy," he continued. "Every day, people and other businesses travel to Reed's Metals to do business, and that exposes them to other businesses in Lincoln County. Reed's Metals' business is not only good for Reed's Metals, it has positive benefits for our other businesses."
After a brief tour of the company's facilities and an quick examination of the machinery within, the county supervisors approved of the progress being made.
"I like that forward progress, " District Two Supervisors Bobby J. Watts said. "I think they're doing a great job. This company reaches four states wide. It goes good for our state and county - they're automated, their product stands out and they're from Lincoln County."
