Old Stanley Furniture plant has new prospect
Robbinsville – An Old Fort-based company that converts gas and diesel-fueled vehicles into electric is considering the old Stanley Furniture Company plant in Robbinsville as a possible location for a retrofit plant.
The company estimates as many as 1,000 jobs could be created in Graham County, although local officials think the number may be overly optimistic.
Bison EV Retrofits, Inc. representatives met with town, county and state officials in Robbinsville last week to discuss details about the proposal, including any tax breaks and grants that would make the plan feasible. Graham County commissioners and Robbinsville Mayor Shaun Adams sent letters in support of the project.
According to the N.C. Department of Commerce, Graham County is a Tier 1 county – meaning the county is among the state’s 40 most economically distressed.
“The success of your vision would create a much needed economic benefit for our Tier 1 North Carolina county,” commissioners said in their letter. “The Graham County Board of Commissioners is committed to do everything that we can possible do to promote economic growth.”
Mayor Adams went one step farther, suggesting that the town may be interested in buying a retrofitted vehicle from Bison EV if grant money is available to fund the purchase.
“I have been working diligently with Bison EV to get us some much needed jobs and I have already written them a letter of support,” Adams told The Graham Star. “If Bison EV starts operations here it will be one of the greatest things that has happened to Robbinsville and Graham County as it will provide hundreds of high-paying jobs.”
Bison EV
Bison EV describes itself as the first high-volume electric drive retrofit company in the world.
Company officials anticipate a growing market for its products, estimating a half-million diesel school buses that could stand to benefit.
A new electric school bus could cost around $300,000, compared to retrofitting a school bus at a cost of under $100,000.
The federal government has committed $5 billion to the purchase of electric school buses and there is no large-scale competition in the retrofit market.
The company claims that an electric school bus saves up to $170,000 in maintenance and fuel costs over a 10-year period with better reliability, less maintenance, quieter ride, and zero exhaust. The company retrofits all sizes of buses and claims a range of around 120 miles per charge, depending on battery configuration and driving conditions. It provides training for maintenance and drivers and a 10-year warranty.
According to its timeline, Bison EV is searching for a manufacturing facility and hoped to have one secured and work beginning by March, with its first products rolling off the line by May and full production of two vehicle models by the end of the year. It plans to have 12 vehicle models by the end of year five.
It estimates first year gross revenue of $332 million, rising to $4.8 billion by year five.
Clean energy
North Carolina is staking out presence in the clean energy economy.
On March 29, the N.C. Department of Commerce announced a deal with Vietnamese auto manufacturer VinFast to build a new line of electric vehicles in Chatham County, creating 7,500 jobs there.
The Department of Commerce coordinated the state’s recruitment of VinFast, which also involved state, regional, and local organizations.
“Automotive assembly plants are incredible engines for economic growth, due to the positive ripple effects they create across a region’s economy,” said N.C. Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “I’m so pleased that VinFast has decided to launch their North America manufacturing operations from our state, and we’ll work hard to make sure they find the skilled workforce they’ll need to grow and thrive in North Carolina.”
Stanley plant
Stanley Furniture Company closed its manufacturing plant on Snowbird Road in 2014, affecting about 400 jobs in a county that – at the time – had a population of just over 8,700. It is probably no coincidence that Graham County’s population has dropped to 8,030 as of the 2020 census.
Oak Valley Hardwood set up shop in the old Stanley Furniture plant in April 2015 – employing at most 35 people, but closed in May 2019, and the building has remained vacant since then.
The facility is listed for sale at $4.7 million. It encompasses a 37.47-acre parcel with just over 588,000 square feet of contiguous building space. It was built in 1958 for lumber and furniture, and zoned for commercial/industrial.
The listing agent said the building is sound, with a good roof and multiple drive-in doors and docks, 23,660 square feet of lumber kiln space, 312,000 square feet of warehouse space, 16 loading docks, one freight elevator and a separate log grading building. A sprinkler system and dust removal system are in place, but need “modest” repair, according to a sales brochure.