Riverside Furniture to invest $5.4 million in N.C. warehouse, distribution center

HIGH POINT – Case goods resource Riverside Furniture Corp. is investing $5.4 million in a new warehouse and distribution center about 60 miles northeast of High Point in Caswell County. The project will result in about 50 new jobs for the area, according to an announcement made Friday by the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

The 300,000 square-foot facility is expected to reduce lead time s for the company’s retailers on the Eastern Seaboard, according to the statement.

The project occurs as the company is also renovating the former YMCA building in downtown High Point for a new showroom and year-round product development center expected to open in time for the April High Point Market. The company is spending a total of about $15 million on both projects.

“Riverside’s investment in North Carolina, including both the new High Point showroom and the Caswell County distribution center, is a combined $15 million, which is a reflection of our growth as a company and the expansion of service to our customer base,” said Fred Henjes, President and CEO of Riverside. “Because the distribution center is situated on 50 acres of land, the campus will give us the ability to expand.”

For the Caswell County expansion, the company is receiving a performance based grant of $150,000 from the One North Carolina Fund. Companies must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for these funds. The grants also require a matching grant from local governments.

New positions at the facility include shipping and receiving personnel, forklift operators and warehouse supervisors.

“Growing companies know they can succeed with North Carolina’s skilled workforce, location and infrastructure to support their distribution operations,” said N.C. Governor Roy Cooper in announcing the project. “Riverside Furniture’s increased presence fits with North Carolina’s reputation as the furniture capital of the world.”

I’m Tom Russell and have worked at Furniture/Today since August 2003. Since then, I have covered the international side of the business from a logistics and sourcing standpoint. Since then, I also have visited several furniture trade shows and manufacturing plants in Asia, which has helped me gain perspective about the industry in that part of the world. As I continue covering the import side of the business, I look forward to building on that knowledge base through conversations with industry officials and future overseas plant tours. From time to time, I will file news and other industry perspectives online and, as always, welcome your response to these Web postings.