Brown Lumber’s Alabama Truss Plant Celebrates 250th Job

Brown Lumber & Building Supply has completed its 250th truss package since opening a new roof and floor truss manufacturing facility in Columbiana, AL on Jan. 14, marking a faster-than-projected ramp for the 30,000 square foot facility and adding $5 million dollars in capital investment to Shelby County's industrial base. The plant currently employs 20 workers and is on pace to produce around 2 million board feet of product by the end of 2026.

Brown Lumber expects to add 25-50 additional positions over the next 2-3 years as additional production shifts continue to expand and come online. The facility serves builders across the southeast United States, with a heavy focus on the central Alabama region, and has already supplied truss packages for many projects in Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Montgomery, Pell City, Gardendale, and Huntsville

The Columbiana plant gives Brown Lumber a vertically integrated offering—lumber supply, design support, and component manufacturing from a single source—that is increasingly rare in the regional market. Most builders working in central Alabama are currently limited when trying to source trusses in the area, adding freight cost and lead time to every project in a period where speed and reliability are more important than ever.

"Four months in, we're running ahead of where we thought we'd be," said Andrew Brown, president of Brown Lumber & Building Supply. "Previously, builders in central Alabama have been waiting 4-8 weeks for trusses from local and out-of-state suppliers. We're delivering ours in as fast as a couple of days, and that's the difference between a project staying on schedule and falling behind."

Added Brown, "This has been an exciting project for the team at Brown Lumber—to be able to bring this technology to Columbiana and Shelby County has created more skilled manufacturing jobs for our people here, provided our partner builders with more efficient and effective lead times and quality truss builds, and happier home and business owners. It's been a win all the way around. It is only the beginning, and we are only scratching the surface of future success for everyone."