Old Virginia Brick announces plant expansion

Old Virginia Brick will now offer widest selection of wood-moulded bricks.

Old Virginia Brick will soon increase production at its Salem plant as a result of major improvements and expansion, according to company CEO Fletcher Smoak.

"We recently completed a major electrical upgrade to the entire plant and are currently adding a new manufacturing production line that will increase our forming, grinding, drying and burning capabilities," says Smoak.

Old Virginia Brick will have the capacity to produce an additional 17 million of its premier wood-moulded bricks annually, raising the total annual capacity to 60 million.

The company will hire an additional 25 to 30 new employees as a result of the $1.2 million production line expansion, due for completion March 30.

"These improvements will enable us to offer a broader depth of inventory and to re-introduce an incredible line of distinctive colors we haven't previously had the capacity to promote," says Chris Moore, Old Virginia Brick's vice president of sales and marketing.

He adds the company will now be able to offer a total of 30 brick colors, allowing it to offer the widest selection available in the wood-moulded brick arena.

Moore also says the emphasis will be on increased production of wood-moulded pavers, which represents the largest growth segment in the past three years.

"Our rich, warm, colors and unique texture combined with our quality offer the discriminating buyer a beautiful solution to their brick paver needs," he says, adding the company will also increase production of its Modular, Engineer and Queen sizes.

Old Virginia Brick will begin a second expansion phase in late 2007 or early 2008 that will upgrade its specialty shapes capabilities.

Old Virginia Brick combines modern kiln firing and old-fashioned craftsmanship to make authentic colonial wood-moulded bricks, custom shapes, pavers and extruded bricks at its Salem and Madison Heights, Va., plants.

Founded in 1890, the company has earned a national reputation for its high standards, and its products are used in historic restoration and in new construction on residential, institutional and government projects.

Old Virginia Brick employs 170 people.

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