For more information, please contact:
Teri Smith, Marketing Director
Office: 575-442-4660
teri.smith@independentstavecompany.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Independent Stave Company Continues Expansion: Morehead Wood Products Becomes Operational as the Company’s Fifth American Oak Stave Mill
MOREHEAD, Ky. (Sept.16, 2015) – Independent Stave Company is pleased to announce its fifth American oak stave mill has come online and is now fully operational. Transformed from an empty 58-acre field to a state of the art stave mill in just two years, Morehead Wood Products began operating in September and is now supplying high quality staves and heading to the company’s Kentucky Cooperage based in Lebanon, Ky. This new stave mill is one of several projects Independent Stave Company has established to support the growth of the bourbon industry.
Morehead Wood Products opened its doors in early September and is soon adding a second shift. The mill also has plans to add a third shift in 2016.
“This has been an exciting time of investment and expansion as we support the significant growth our distilling customers are experiencing,” said Brad Boswell, president and fourth-generation cooper. “By production capacity, this new stave mill is now the second largest stave mill in the world, allowing us to greatly increase our supply of high-quality American white oak.”
Independent Stave Company has a long heritage of serving the spirits industry since its inception in 1912, first as a domestic supplier of staves, and today as a cooperage company crafting a wide range of barrels and oak products. The company has maintained a longstanding philosophy of sourcing oak through company-owned stave mills to ensure quality, traceability and consistency from the very beginning of the process.
When Independent Stave Company began researching locations for its fifth stave mill, Morehead, Ky. quickly became a top contender thanks to an excellent work force and an ideal location surrounded by forests known for cooperage-quality white oak. Independent Stave Company purchased land and then developed technology for the mill through its in-house engineering team.
“Building a stave mill from scratch has many advantages, including the ability to optimize each step of the process through proven techniques and new innovations,” said Boswell. “We have pushed ourselves throughout the development process to build on our experience and look for ways to further improve our quality and processes – which then becomes a direct benefit to our distilling customers.”
Independent Stave Company has appointed Mike Knudson as the mill’s general manager. Knudson has worked for the company for over 21 years with extensive experience in production supervision; upon accepting his new role one year ago, he relocated with his family to Morehead to begin the hiring process.
“We’ve had an overwhelmingly positive reaction from the community, both in welcoming us to Morehead and also submitting applications to join our team,” confirmed Knudson. “We appreciate the community’s support and look forward to a bright future.”
Independent Stave Company is a dynamic, family-owned cooperage company reaching customers in more than 40 countries. Founded by the Boswell family, Independent Stave Company still embraces the core values of family, innovation, community and hard work.
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