Columbia Flooring to create new jobs

By CHARLES W. JOHNSON / News Editor for the Southern Standard

Columbia Flooring McMinnville human resources manager Lynne Hamrick is shown in front of the 80-foot tall and 30-foot wide sawdust silo currently under construction on company grounds. (Charles W. Johnson photo)

Local residents driving by Depot Bottom recently may have noticed a new addition to the McMinnville skyline.

The towering new structure isn’t all that unusual. It’s a sawdust silo being built to replace outdated dust bins at Columbia Flooring of McMinnville, formerly McMinnville Manufacturing.

But not only is Columbia Flooring expanding and modernizing its physical operation locally, business has increased to the point that the company is also adding a second shift which will eventually provide an additional 30 jobs. The company currently has 80 temporary employees and 41 payroll employees, according to Human Resources manager Lynne Hamrick.

At present, these will be designated temporary employees as well. The company has already begun to hire some employees for training, and will continue hiring until the goal of 30 is reached. Once trained, the employees will be moving to night shift.

The company makes solid, unfinished hardwood flooring which is marketed to a variety of regional wholesale customers.

Columbia purchased the business, which has been in Warren County since the early 1900s, about a year ago, and business is going well.

“We’ve even expanded our hours to five hours more a week beginning this week,” Hamrick said. “The simple matter of fact is they’re really pleased with the grade and quality of our product and they just want more of it.”

As for the silo, which is 80 feet tall and 30 feet in diameter, that has been garnering much attention around town, Hamrick says it has a pretty simple function.

“It’s sole purpose is to make it easier for us to handle our sawdust,” Hamrick said. “Right now we’re hauling by dumptruck down to our lumberyard and then it’s loaded into an 18-wheeler. By having this, it’ll help us simplify that process by not having to do anything but have an 18-wheeler drive under the silo and dump the sawdust directly into that. So it’s going to be replacing some really old dust-bins.”

The sawdust will be blown into the silo using large air ducts and then dumped into the trailers by using a mechanical door system at the bottom of the silo. The trailers then simply drive out and deliver to customers who purchase the sawdust for use in furnaces.

With the closure of the Carrier plant on everyone’s mind, Hamrick says existing local industry, no matter what the size, is very important.

“I think they’re very critical to the economy of the community and the stability of the community,” Hamrick said. “It’s an integral part. So we’re just pleased the company that purchased us is wanting to use our product and expand.”