Lumber company to invest $40M; create 43 jobs in Scotland Co.
Rubber and Wood | 2026-08-27 05:09:16 | By Paul Ploumis
Willis said the project demonstrates the importance of preparing infrastructure and working with local, regional and state partners to attract industry.
SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): A lumber company plans to invest $40 million and create 43 jobs in Scotland County, bringing new manufacturing opportunities to a county that has historically faced higher unemployment than much of North Carolina.
Gov. Josh Stein announced Monday that Great Southern Wood-NC Inc., a manufacturer of pressure-treated lumber, will build a lumber treatment facility on a 90-acre site at the Laurinburg-Maxton Airport.
The facility will be located in the Southeastern Regional Airport Authority's industrial park and will become the company's 17th wood-treating plant.
Great Southern Wood was founded in Alabama in 1970 and produces pressure-treated pine while distributing other building materials to dealers in the residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural sectors across 28 states and the District of Columbia.
Company officials said the Scotland County operation is intended to fill a production and distribution gap in Great Southern Wood's Mid-Atlantic operations.
The location provides access to Interstate 74, CSX rail service, water and sewer infrastructure, Duke Energy electric and natural gas service and an industrially zoned site. Officials said proximity to the airport's runways was also important because it will provide the company's leadership with convenient access to the facility.
The project comes as Scotland County continues efforts to attract jobs and investment.
ABC 15 previously reported the county's unemployment rate was 4.6% in April, according to the North Carolina Department of Commerce. That represented 619 unemployed people in a labor force of 13,330. More recent county-level figures for June show unemployment conditions remained elevated compared with many parts of the state, while North Carolina's statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 3.6% in July.
Scotland County has also experienced a decline in population. The latest U.S. Census Bureau estimate puts the county's population at 33,322 as of July 1, 2025, down 2.5% from its 2020 population estimate base of 34,167. The county had 34,174 residents in the 2020 census.
The new Great Southern Wood jobs are expected to pay an average annual salary of $60,827. That's about 24% higher than Scotland County's average annual wage of $49,091, according to the North Carolina Department of Commerce.
Positions will include jobs in management, sales and supervision, as well as truck driving, production and maintenance. Full-time employees will be offered medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) with a company match, life insurance and an annual profit-sharing program.
Scotland County competed against other North Carolina counties as well as sites in Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia for the project.
Willis said the project demonstrates the importance of preparing infrastructure and working with local, regional and state partners to attract industry.
A performance-based $200,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund will help establish the operation. The company must meet job creation and investment requirements before receiving grant payments, and the award requires matching participation from local government.
Partners involved in securing the project included Scotland County, the city of Laurinburg, the town of Maxton, the Southeastern Regional Airport Authority, Scotland County Economic Development Corp., Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, Golden LEAF Foundation, North Carolina Railroad Co., North Carolina Department of Transportation, North Carolina Department of Commerce, North Carolina General Assembly, North Carolina Community College System, Richmond Community College, CSX Rail, Duke Energy and North Carolina's Southeast.