Sitting atop the hilly landscape on the north side of U.S. 74 Bypass between Exits 316 and 319, the manufacturing facility American Woodmark is a substantial employer for Richmond County residents with more than 200 employees. Acquired in late 2017 from RSI, the nearly 300,000 square foot facility manufactures bath and kitchen cabinets and has a headquarters in Winchester, Virginia.
Since its inception, the plant has grown from 80 employees to 231 under the leadership of Plant Director Bob Young.
“We aren’t just building cabinets. We are trying to build careers. We love the community, and we are trying to make it better by educating and promoting people from this community,” Young said.
American Woodmark Hamlet is charitable and has donated nearly $20,000 to organizations, schools and caregiving operations in the surrounding area, including Richmond County Hospice, many of the schools in the area, fitness programs for youth, and The Back-Pack Pals program to name a few.
Young serves as assistant chair for the Richmond County Chamber of Commerce and serves as an advisory member for the Richmond Senior High Vocational program and also helps in advisory roles with Richmond Community College.
Director of Human Resources Randy Hardy provided the following information regarding changes in the plant post COVID-19:
“On behalf of everyone at American Woodmark, our hearts go out to all those impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19). As always, our top priority is the health and well-being of our team and customers. As we navigate the rapidly evolving situation together, I want to share with you the extra precautions we are taking. Please note, this is not an exhaustive list, but just some of the preventative measures we are taking across our business.
During the COVID-19 virus crisis, the plant has spent the last several weeks preparing for how the virus may impact our supply chain, employees, customers and communities. American Woodmark has established a team that is closely monitoring the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization and other local and national health organizations. This team is also ensuring that the plant is taking necessary preventative measures.
Taking care of our team
American Woodmark is following the recommended guidelines from the CDC, which strongly encourages frequent hand washing, social distancing and avoidance of crowds as the most important steps toward prevention:
• The CEO is providing the entire company an emailed weekly communication on company updates and best practices.
• In our practice of social distancing, we have temporarily postponed or canceled several external and internal gatherings that would have been held in our locations or off-site venues. Other events have been modified into virtual meetings using technology.
• The company is following all federal, state or locally mandated travel restrictions.
• All visitors to any American Woodmark location must receive senior leader approval prior to entering the site.
• Where possible, we have strongly enforced remote work. In the job functions where this is not possible, we have implemented or developed plans to allow for at least six feet of space from one team member to the next.
• We will continue to follow the CDC’s guidance on international travel, and all non-essential airline travel has been restricted, unless approved by a member of the executive team.
• In the event someone from our team becomes sick, we are asking them to self-quarantine and seek medical attention as recommended by the CDC.
Keeping our locations clean and safe
We’ve always been proud of the cleanliness and operations of all our locations, and we know that keeping them clean and sanitized is even more important now.
• In addition to our daily cleaning efforts, we are increasing the time spent cleaning and sanitizing our locations, especially in our most frequented areas such as the restrooms, break rooms and entrances.
• We encourage all employees to wash their hands often, avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth, avoid close contact with others who are sick, and clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• We are supplying additional personal protective equipment to our employees as needed.
Within our company, as always, we are committed to making sure our employees are taken care of during this challenging time. I want to thank you for your understanding as we make every effort to support our employees, communities and customers. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to myself at rhardy@woodmark.com.”
In keeping with our spirit of community pride and gratitude, we are so thankful for this powerhouse industry in Richmond County. The community service and leadership of American Woodmark has and continues to make an enormous positive impact on our community and we are especially thankful for Director of Operations Bob Young, who has truly made Richmond County his new home away from home.
Meghann Lambeth is director of the Richmond County Tourism Development Authority. She is writing a series on how local industries are contributing to the COVID-19 effort, which will also be published at the Richmond Observer. You can read the original post here.
