HHT Opens New 90,000 sq. ft. Building
Thursday, October 26, 2017
By Will Smith, The Hawk Eye
Three years ago, Hearth and Home Technologies bought out the Vermont Castings Group, starting a snowball of product expansion that bolstered its work force.
When Hearth and Home decided to move 40 jobs from its recently acquired plant in Paris, Kentucky, to Mount Pleasant to produce vent-free fireplaces, one fact became readily apparent it. The Mount Pleasant facility was going to need another building to house all the new work.
“It put us in a really tight space,” said Carla McNamee, vice president and general manager of the Hearth and Home plant in Mount Pleasant.
That’s why Hearth and Home commissioned construction of a 90,000-sq. ft. building next to its main facility. Carl A. Nelson and Co. started work on the $7.4 million building in March, and the first shipments starting rolling off the new building’s loading dock last week. Eventually, the building also will be used for production.
Employees and locals celebrated the new building with an open house and ribbon cutting Wednesday night.
“Today we celebrate a journey,” McNamee said during the ceremony. “Today is not a completion. Today is a stop along the road. It is a moment to pause and celebrate this milestone.”
The Mount Pleasant plant will have around 400 employees when those 40 jobs are filled. Job types vary, but manufacturing experience is preferred.
“We are still looking for people to fill those roles,” McNamee said.
Though Carl A. Nelson has completed most of its work, there are a few finishing touches to be added in the coming months, such as a break room.
“It has higher ceilings than our main building, and that tightens up the travel distance for our products,” McNamee said.
A subsidiary of the HNI Corporation, the Hearth and Home plant in Mount Pleasant was built in 1965. The additional space will bring the total size of the plant to 388,000 sq. ft., allowing employees plenty of room to produce wood, vent-free and outdoor fireplaces. The company also produces venting and accessories.
Hearth and Home has shipped fireplaces across the world, including the countries of Canada, Norway, Japan and Australia. The company has several distribution centers across the country, as well as manufacturing sites in Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Iowa.
Hearth and Home is responsible for several brands, including Heat & Glo, Heatilator, Quadra-Fire, Harman, Majestic, Monessen, Vermont Castings, Outdoor Lifestyles, SimpliFire, WoodPro and PelPro.
