Trex makes progress on Arkansas plant

Trex Co., a maker of recycled-content composite plastic and wood residue decking and railing, has held a “topping out” ceremony at its under-construction manufacturing facility in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The production facility represents an estimated $400 million investment by Trex and has been designed to increase capacity as well as its ability to "meet the strong demand” for its products.

“We are thrilled to reach this important milestone in the development of our new facility,” Trex President and CEO Bryan H. Fairbanks says. “We continue to experience broad-based demand driven by strong consumer interest in outdoor living. This new campus will enable us to provide our customers with significantly better access to Trex products while strengthening our position for future growth.”

At the topping-out ceremony, held in late August at the Trex site, company executives were joined by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Arkansas Economic Development Commission Executive Director Clint O’Neal and Little Rock Regional Chamber President and CEO Jay Chesshir, along with other representatives from regional government and the construction consortium.

During the event, the final structural steel beam, signed by project stakeholders, was placed atop the new decking facility, symbolizing what Trex calls “the collaborative effort and dedication of all involved in the project.”

“Great things happen when every level of government and the private sector are working on the same page,” Sanders said at the event. “That’s what this facility represents: not just one business investing in Little Rock, but an entire network working together to make it happen.”

“We are honored to celebrate this milestone with Trex, a company whose focus on sustainability and environmental stewardship complements the efforts of the city of Little Rock and Pulaski County,” Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. added.

The new plant is on nearly 300 acres of land in the Port of Little Rock district. The facility will be Trex’s third U.S. manufacturing location, joining Fernley, Nevada, and Winchester, Virginia, where the company is headquartered.

When complete, the Little Rock campus will include buildings dedicated to decking and railing production, plastic film recycling and processing, reclaimed wood storage, warehousing and administrative offices.

Lexington, Kentucky-based Gray Construction is developing the site.

“As we reach the topping-out milestone, we are not just marking the completion of the highest point of this structure, but also celebrating the hard work, dedication and collaboration of everyone involved in this project," Gray Construction President and CEO Brian Jones says.

“This new campus has the potential to be Trex’s largest and most productive,” adds Adam Zambanini, an executive vice president at Trex. “The facilities will be equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, employ proprietary technologies and energy-efficient systems designed to drive optimal output with a focus on sustainability and circularity.”

Over time, Trex expects the Little Rock facility to bring more than 500 new jobs to the region. The firm says hiring has already begun for facility management positions and recruiting for hourly employees will begin soon.