NOXUBEE COUNTY — Huber Engineered Woods, a North Carolina wood panel manufacturer, is investing $418 million to build a new oriented strand board mill in Noxubee County.
The new mill will be located on 551 acres north of Shuqualak, off Highway 45 North. Huber President Brian Carlson told The Dispatch the construction of the mill is slated to begin by the third quarter of 2023 and end in late 2025.
Operation of the mill is expected to begin in early 2026 and the company expects to hire 158 employees to manufacture OSB wood panels, which are similar to particle board and are typically used for subfloors in residential and commercial construction.
According to unemployment data released by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, Noxubee County’s unemployment rate currently sits at 3.9% — one of the highest in the state — with about 130 unemployed people.
Huber President Brian Carlson told The Dispatch the construction of the facility alone will create more than 150 jobs for contractors and that local companies will be considered for the project if they meet certain criteria.
“We’re open to local contractors or contractors from out of the area, certainly,” Carlson said. “They just need to fit our criteria. The amount of work that’s going to be done just for site prep, for example, relates to the quantity of dirt that will be moved and any insurance requirements, which a lot of local folks wouldn’t necessarily have. But if they do, as an example, we would certainly include them in the mix of contractor evaluation.”
Carlson also said before construction can begin later this year, the company will need to finish a purchase deal on the property once all permitting is complete on-site. Those permits include a state and federal wetland permit, and an air emissions permit on the property.
“That should be (done) in the next several months,” he said. “We’ve got some more due diligence work to do on permitting in particular. That will lead us to hopefully a close in the next few months.”
Huber Manufactured Woods is a subsidiary company of J.M. Huber Corporation, which was founded in 1883. Huber has built five other strand board wood mills in Oklahoma, Tennessee, Maine, Georgia and Virginia. Carlson said this was the company’s largest mill so far.
Noxubee County and Mississippi Development Authority will assist with infrastructure work necessary for the buildout, including sewer, water and road work. The Tennessee Valley Authority will also assist in connecting the plant to the power grid, a press release issued by MDA read.
“Mississippi’s rich natural resources in agriculture, forestry and wood products have always been a catalyst for economic growth,” MDA Deputy Executive Director Laura Hipp said in the release. “We are thrilled to see Huber Engineered Woods invest in our state, bringing new job opportunities and boosting our economy. MDA is proud to support this venture and looks forward to its success.”
Mayor of Shuqualak, Velma Jenkins, told The Dispatch Huber will also have an option to purchase its water utilities from the city, though the company is not required to connect to the city’s water system.
“We are the closest water system to them, and we have very good (water utility service),” Jenkins said.
Jenkins also said she was happy to see the company decided to locate near the town, and hopes it will create more jobs for local residents and boost the economy of Noxubee County through retail shopping and people moving to the area to work.
“I look forward to them moving forward to the full fruition of the program,” she said. “I look forward to the tax dollars that it’s going to bring. We have very few amenities, but they will be there and we will benefit from our stores and our new businesses. So I’m excited about it.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 45 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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