Officials from Liberty County Development Authority and Evans General Contractors flank Westin Group CEO Neil Jiang and LCDA Board Chairman Al Williams as they break ground for Westin Furniture’s new distribution center in Liberty County’s Tradeport East Business Center.
Furniture manufacturer starts work on distribution center
(Midway, GA) Westin Group LLC has started work on its new East Coast distribution center in Liberty County’s Tradeport East Business Center and marked the occasion with a groundbreaking on Friday, Jan. 19.
Westin Furniture will occupy the 250,000 square-foot facility and could employ as many as 190 people, if demand meets expectations, according to company CEO Neil Jiang.
“We are so pleased to have Westin coming to Tradeport East Business Center,” Liberty County Development Authority Board Chairman Al Williams, who is also state representative for this area, said. “We’re excited about the opportunity and we’re looking forward to hearing these tractors crank up a whole lot more in the coming year.”
Westin is a leader in the furniture industry that supplies both retail and e-commerce markets. It deals mostly in outdoor furniture and accessories, but also has indoor furniture, such as dining room sets.
Jiang thanked LCDA staff for helping get the project started quickly. “I believe once we have this facility established our goals will just keep going,” he said.
When the project was first announced, he said, “In the past few years, we have seen rapid success and are currently outgrowing our West Coast facilities. About 85 percent of our customers are based on the East Coast and our strategy is to have quicker delivery time to them as well as saving on shipping costs.”
He said 90 percent of Westin’s sales are e-commerce, but that its furniture can also be found in specialty and department stores such as Macy’s, Belk, Home Depot, Ashley Furniture, and Walmart.
Jiang said the company hopes demand requires the initial distribution center be expanded to 500,000 SF. It will employ approximately 80 at first and another 50-60 will be needed if the second phase is required. And if the company brings production here as hoped an additional 50 jobs will be created.
The company plans to invest $25,650,000 in the initial phase of the facility, which is being built at the corner of Sunbury Road and ML Coffer Court.
Westin is the fourth company that started construction on new facilities in Tradeport East this year. The others are Palatize, Seohan Auto Georgia, and Creative Home Ideas. A fifth company, Town & Country Living, and two of its affiliates, Home Dynamix and Amalgamated Textiles, occupied a newly constructed 645,000 square-foot spec building. Additional companies also moved into a 1.4 million SF building already partially occupied by Hooker Furniture and Safavieh Rugs. Liberty Furniture, Supply One, and Hugo Boss have set up operations there.
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About Westin Furniture
Westin Furniture, a private company, has been in business for 20 years. The company also provides exclusive wholesale label products to retailers nationwide. Its mission is to offer products you can trust, exceptional value without compromise and an unwavering commitment to innovation. Its diverse and stylish selection includes Adirondack chairs, outdoor patio sets, patio umbrellas, outdoor patio heaters, indoor dining room sets, bar stools and much more.