Furniture factory expected to boost efforts to revive Southside's economy

by Heather B. Hayes
for Virginia Business
November 2006

Southside Virginia officials believe that plans to build a furniture factory in the Danville area will signal that the region is on the rebound.

Swedwood North America, a subsidiary of the Swedish home furnishings retailer IKEA, will build an 810,000-square-foot factory in the Cane Creek Centre industrial park. The facility, which will be built in three phases, will initially employ 300 people but its work force is expected to climb to 740.

The announcement is "an opportunity to showcase our work force’s talents and willingness to work," Jerry Gwaltney, Danville’s city manager, said in statement.

Southside Virginia has been buffeted in recent years by plant closings and a decline in tobacco farming. The region has been battling back, recruiting companies such as Yorktowne Cabinetry Inc., which also has a plant in the Cane Creek park.