On October 30, Innovative Hearth Products (IHP) celebrated a great accomplishment, the grand re-opening of its expanded Russellville, Alabama, facility. The event was hosted by Mark Klein, IHP CEO, and attended by numerous state and local officials including Sen. Roger Bedford and State Representative Johnny Mack Morrow.

The Russellville campus.

Just 14 months ago, many of these same local officials attended the ground-breaking event when the 220,000 sq. ft. expansion was announced.  Since that time, the facility has been built and equipment has been purchased, as well as transferred from the Union City, Tennessee, facility. A number of employees have been transferred from the Tennessee plant, to supplement the 260 new hires.

“Without the support of Sen. Bedford and the team of local officials, along with an incredibly dedicated team of employees, this huge accomplishment would not have been possible,” said IHP CEO Mark Klein.  “Our investment partners, ComVest, have made a significant contribution of over $14 million to ensure a solid foundation for our intended long-term growth.

“This facility will be a cornerstone of our organization. We have incorporated some new state of the art paint booths, along with our lean manufacturing technologies. When all is completed, this will ensure we are the leanest, lowest-cost producer in the industry.”

Some of the last products and equipment will be installed over the remainder of this year. With the industry trade show (HPBExpo) in Nashville in 2015, IHP plans to host bus excursions to Russellville for factory tours so many of their customers can visit this new facility.