Here’s how this California-based company is bringing hundreds of jobs to Phenix City
California-based Sierra Pacific Windows is expanding operations in Phenix City and bringing hundreds of new jobs to the area.
The company announced plans for a new “high-tech manufacturing plant” that will include 610,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehousing space on 113 acres, according to a news release.
The Phenix City campus will allow the company to increase production of wood and vinyl products, primarily windows and doors, the release said. Demand for these products has increased tenfold in the last decade, the company said, and the products produced in Phenix City will mirror what is produced at existing locations in California and Wisconsin.
“The attractiveness of Alabama as the right location for our company to advance is undeniable,” said Sierra Pacific Windows President Tom Takach in the news release. “We wanted a location that gives us the room to grow and expand.”
Phenix City was an obvious choice, Takach said, because it has easy access to transportation corridors and a skilled labor force in Russell County. Some of the types of jobs created by the new manufacturing campus include technicians, managers, engineers, machine operators and maintenance.
“When fully operational, the need for employees will reach into the hundreds for job opportunities,” the release reads.
Sierra Pacific Windows is a division of Sierra Pacific Industries, which is a third-generation, family-owned forest products company based in Anderson, California. The founder, Archie “Red” Emmerson, was born in Oregon where his father worked in the timber industry.
When he got older, Emmerson and his father leased a sawmill together, and Emmerson began growing the business by acquiring more land and lumber. Sierra Pacific Industries was trademarked in 1969, and Emmerson’s sons, George and Mark, now run the business.
Local municipal and elected officials in Phenix City were instrumental in drawing the company’s attention to the region, the release said. Phenix City Mayor Eddie Lowe welcomed Sierra Pacific Windows to the city in a statement.
“We’re excited about the positive impacts that they will have on our community,” Lowe said in the statement. “We’ve enjoyed working with them and look forward to helping them meet their present and future goals.”
This story was originally published May 22, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
