RIPPLE/Lindsay Craven

MVP Group International will be expanding its business to Boonville. The company has signed a lease at the former Vaughn-Bassett facility and plans to open a distribution facility in the location. The expansion will initially create about 10 jobs in the area and will eventually offer over 20 positions once it is fully functional.

slideshow

Yadkin County can look forward to more employment opportunities in the coming months.

According to a press release, “MVP Group International, the parent company of Colonial Candle, has entered into a lease-purchase agreement to locate warehousing and distribution operations to the prior Vaughn-Bassett facility in Boonville.

“In general, we’ve been looking for enough space in order to expand our operations, which is mostly going to be in distribution at this point,” said Sean Peters, Vice President of Operations for MVP Group Intl. in Elkin. “We currently have about four different warehouses in Yadkin and Surry Counties where we have spread out because of space constraints and needs so we’re really consolidating into this one warehouse, not only for storage of raw materials but also distribution of finished goods.”

Yadkin County officials are also glad that the company could find a location in the county to meet its distribution needs.

“We’re glad we had a facility to fit their needs and we look forward to them being an active participant in Yadkin County,” said Bobby Todd, director of the Yadkin County Chamber of Commerce.

The facility will start with a contingent crew from Elkin that will get the operation started. After the location is started the company plans to start out with at least 10 new employees. The company plans to continue to add employees as time goes on.

“We’re going to start hiring probably within the next month or two starting out with at least 10 head count and then we’ll expand from there,” Peters said. “Initially we’re probably going to be somewhere in the 20 plus range. It’s hard to tell over the next two or three years but with MVP’s growth I wouldn’t anticipate anything less than 30 or more.”

Peters says that all hiring is done through Workforce Carolina, the temporary agency that MVP Group Intl. works with. Anyone interested in open positions should check with the hiring agency within the next month or two to see what positions will be available.

Currently, Colonial Candle has 160 full time employees in Elkin.

“There’s a good chance within a year’s time frame we may move a good portion of Colonial Candle, which is a brand that MVP owns, down to [the Boonville] facility and start shipping from there as well,” Peters said. “There is more work that needs to be done to the facility in order to accommodate the high end brands such as air conditioning and things so that’s a little ways off yet. That is the plan for the future.”

According to the company’s Web site, MVP Group International is the world’s largest private label candle company. The company designs, manufactures and markets branded candles and home fragrance products. The company’s brands include Colonial Candle, Midwest CBK, Paula Deen Candle Collection, Carolina Candles, Olde South Candle Company and others.

“We distribute to many national retailers,” Peters said. “Particularly out of [the Boonville facility] we will start with distribution to companies like Walgreen’s, Dollar General, Family Dollar, potentially Rite Aid, Boscov’s and stores like that.”

Peters says that the company’s relationship with Yadkin and Surry Counties and the state of North Carolina has been very good and that the company plans to continue to grow here.

“The state of North Carolina and both counties have been very helpful in trying to keep jobs here and business here,” Peters said. “Both have bent over backwards to help us continue to march along with our business and our strategy and our growth. We’ve been very pleased here and we’d like to keep as much business in North Carolina and these counties as possible.”

“The business for the company has been very strong, which is a combination of additional business growth through beating out our competitors and also acquisitions,” Peters continued. “Things have been going very well for the company.”

MVP Group International corporate headquarters are located in Charleston, S.C. The company has a manufacturing facility in Elkin. It also houses manufacturing facilities and offices in California, Tennessee, Minnesota, Hong Kong, India and China.

Reach Lindsay Craven at 679-2341 or at lcraven@heartlandpublications.com.