CLARION, Pa. (EYT)— The Clarion County Economic Development Corporation hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday morning at the Clarion County YMCA for Speyside Bourbon Cooperage’s newest stave mill. The ceremony, which was originally set to take place at the new mill’s location on Thompson Road near Corisca in Clarion Township, was moved to the YMCA due to weather.
Special guests at the ceremony included The Honorable Neil Weaver, Acting Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, and Ted Kopas from the Governor’s Action Team of the DCED. Darren Whitmer, CEO and Vice President of Speyside Bourbon Cooperage Inc., represented the company along with Michael Harrold, Raw Materials Procurement Manager; Tony Gibson, Manager of Stave Mill Operations; Jim McCoy, Eastern Region Procurement Supervisor; and Matt Megnin, Log Buyer.
“It’s always great to be back in Clarion. I’m a Clarion University grad, so any time I get to come back to my old stomping grounds, it’s an honor–especially for something like this,” said Mr. Weaver.
“On behalf of Governor Wolf, I have the privilege of announcing that Speyside has chosen Pennsylvania over other states as the location of its newest manufacturing facility.”
Speyside will build a four-line, state-of-the-art stave mill at the 20-acre parcel in Clarion Township for the purpose of producing staves (narrow pieces of wood) to be used in the production of high-quality bourbon barrels.
The company received a funding proposal from DCED for a $139,653 Pennsylvania First grant and a $63,000 workforce development grant to train its new workers.
This project was coordinated by the Governor’s Action Team, an experienced group of economic development professionals who report directly to the governor and work with businesses that are considering locating or expanding in Pennsylvania.
“Manufacturing has always been part of the heritage and lifeblood of this region and our commonwealth,” said Gov. Wolf.
“Having a global company like Speyside open a new, state-of-the-art facility in Pennsylvania speaks volumes about our competitive economy and skilled manufacturing workforce. I know the company will have a bright future here.”
Speyside Bourbon Cooperage is based in Jackson, Ohio. Its parent company, Tonnellerie Francois Freres SA, is a 112-year-old company located in the Burgundy region of France. While its French arm focuses on wine barrels and its Scottish arm focuses on used whiskey barrels, Speyside manufactures new white oak barrels for the bourbon industry. Speyside has six current stave mills in the U.S.
“What’s cool about white oak is that it’s full of natural colors and tannins that give bourbon its beautiful color. That’s why we’re here at the end of the day,” Mr. Whitmer said.
“This is an area that’s rich in white oak. Clarion really is the missing piece in the puzzle we’ve been building in the past seven years.”
The new stave mill is bringing more than $14.6MM in investment into the Clarion area and up to 51 new jobs, according to Mr. Weaver.
It’s expected to open in approximately 18 months.
