Furniture industry still a part of county

Editor’s Note: This is part three of a four-part series exploring the current manufacturing landscape in Burke County.

The landscape of the furniture industry in Burke County has changed over recent years and is very different from the one that made this area famous for furniture 30 or 40 years ago. With the closing of large facilities like Drexel Heritage and Henredon, residents of Burke County have a perception that the furniture industry is on its way out, that it is dying or already has.

While the loss of these companies was a hard blow, the furniture industry is still alive and well. Burke County is home to approximately 20 furniture-related companies that are prospering.

“When we meet with the leaders in the furniture industry it is obvious that business is good and they do not anticipate leaving Burke County,” said Burke Development Inc. project manager Misti Humphries. “It is true that these companies have weathered some tough economic storms in recent years, but the key message today for Burke County residents to know is that they are still here, they are doing well and they aren’t going anywhere.”

Furniture companies face many challenges, including incorporating new, advanced technology and battling overseas competition. However, the biggest challenge Burke furniture manufacturers face today is finding enough skilled employees. Many industry leaders attribute this to the incorrect perception of Burke residents.

“I think a lot of people fear working in furniture now,” said Bill Barlow, vice president of manufacturing at Adden Furniture, which opened its Burke County facility five years ago. “They worry about staying in an industry that, over the last five years, has gotten a black eye. We need to get the message out that we are here to stay.”

The problem isn’t just a lack of employees; it is a lack of young people. Edward Phifer, vice chairman of E.J. Victor, Inc. expresses concern, “There is an aging of the furniture workforce. Without younger people deciding to go into the furniture industry, it poses a big problem.”

Furniture industry leaders and Burke Development, Inc. (BDI) staff recently met to address this problem and share ideas for how they can combat the misperceptions and grow the number of young workers that are entering the field.

“There used to be programs through the high schools to train young people for a career in the furniture industry,” said BDI president Scott Darnell. “We want to get those back in place, along with opportunities for students to tour the furniture manufacturing plants. We have to work together to encourage the workforce that is available for these companies because they are doing well and are continuing to experience success.”

A large number of Burke County’s furniture companies recently participated in High Point Market, Oct. 22-27, which is held twice a year and is the largest home furnishings industry trade show in the world. According to the trade show, the total number of registrants was up five percent over April’s event and six percent over October 2010. Registration for buyers was also up, four percent over April and six percent over last October.

“The October market was labeled a success by our local companies and a notable improvement over recent markets,” said Humphries. “Many Burke County companies came back from market with new contacts and new orders, and positive signs of an increase in business to come. This is great news for our local companies and for Burke County.”

Phifer added, “We currently are working both wood and upholstery plants at 40 hours a week and have a backlog in upholstery manufacturing from heavy demand for domestically manufactured goods.”

The average furniture company in Morganton employs 100 to 125 people and the annual payroll to all furniture employees in the county exceeds $65 million. In addition to employing thousands of Burke residents, the furniture industry stimulates growth in other industries and supports many supplier businesses in our area.

“Part of the reason that I think furniture companies are still so valuable to Burke County is because of the money we put into the area,” said Barlow. “The 125 people we employee will probably spend their money in the county and we spend a lot of money each year with support companies in the community; some examples being machine shops, specialty vendors and various local trucking companies.”

“The furniture industry is vital to our local and regional economy,” said Humphries. “It is exciting to see such dynamic and strong leadership in our furniture companies, people who are passionate about their work and growing this industry in Burke County. The furniture industry leaders are continuously seeking new strategies and improved methods of operation to stay competitive.”

“With businesses making that type of commitment to our county we need to make a commitment to them that we will work on growing the available workforce and finding ways to get more young people going into the furniture industry,” added Humphries.

For anyone interested in obtaining a job in this industry, many Burke furniture companies offer benefits including paid vacation, 401k with company match and health, dental and life insurance.

“Our employees have eight hours of interesting, challenging and rewarding tasks,” said Phifer, which is currently accepting applications at its 110 Wamsutta Mill Road location. “They have great pride in seeing a beautiful piece of art at the end of the day.”

For more information about Burke County’s furniture industry, visit the “News and Events” section on the BDI website, where links to valuable resources and a video about Burke County’s furniture industry are available.

The feature series, “Manufacturing in Burke,” is produced by The News Herald in partnership with Burke Development Inc. The mission of BDI is to promote economic growth, innovation and sustainability in Burke County in order to improve the standard of living and well-being of its citizens. BDI works with industry leaders, site selection consultants, government agencies and other entities to facilitate expansion and development strategies for existing businesses and recruit target industries to Burke County. For more information about BDI, visit www.burkedevinc.com.