July 28, 2023 – Westin Group LLC, a leader in the furniture industry that supplies both retail and e-commerce markets, is planning to construct a facility in Liberty County that is anticipated to create as many as 180 jobs, according to Liberty County Development Authority Board Chairman Allen Brown.
“We are so pleased to have Westin coming to Tradeport East Business Center,” Brown, who is also mayor of Hinesville, said. “Westin is the fourth company this year to announce plans to locate in the county’s premiere industrial park.”
“In the past few years, we have seen rapid success and are currently outgrowing our West Coast facilities,” remarked Westin’s CEO Neil Jiang. “About 85 percent of our customers are based on the East Coast and our strategy is to have quicker delivery time to them as well as saving on shipping costs.”
He said 90 percent of Westin’s sales are e-commerce, but that its furniture can also be found in specialty and department stores such as Macy’s, Belk, Home Depot, Ashley Furniture, and Walmart.
“We welcome Westin Furniture,” said LCDA CEO Ron Tolley. “We’re especially proud that the culmination of the project speaks to how companies here feel about the county and our Authority. A senior vice president for Balta Home USA, Brandon Gavic, was our first contact with Neil Jiang. They had met at an e-commerce vendor summit and Gavic suggested to Jiang that he look at Liberty County for a desired East Coast location. Balta has a distribution center in Midway Industrial Park.”
“A warm welcome to Westin Furniture, and congratulations to Liberty County as their investment in Tradeport East Business Center continues to bring businesses that will provide more good-paying jobs for the community,” added Georgia Department of Economic Development Deputy Commissioner for Global Commerce Kristi Brigman. “This investment by Westin is a testament to the strength of Georgia’s logistics networks, which help companies quickly and efficiently reach a massive East Coast customer base.”
The company plans to start construction on a 250,000 square foot distribution center at the corner of Sunbury Road and ML Coffer Court in Tradeport East later this year. At first it will employ approximately 80. The second phase of the project will expand the building to 500,000 square feet with approximately 50-60 new employes. And if the company brings production here an additional 50 jobs will be created.
The company plans to invest $25,650,000 in the facility.
