ROBBINSVILLE, N.C. - On April 1, 2014, Stanley Furniture announced it will cease operations of its Robbinsville-based manufacturing facility­­­-the company's last domestic plant-within 60 days.

Located in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina, the 588,621 square-foot facilities have had nearly $10 million in upgrades to improve efficiency and equipment in recent years. Of the current 373 employees, 120 have been trained in continuous improvement and Six Sigma certification. Of those, 23 are management-level personnel. A full list of current employee demographics is available along with a list of machinery, including, CNC, Twin-Jet, and Flat Line.

Graham County Economic Development Director Andy Cable said this development provides a unique opportunity for someone to take advantage of a high-skilled workforce, fully equipped facility, and existing environmental permits for spray booths and factory exhaust systems. "The existing permits that come with this property could be a super asset to certain manufacturing firms," Cable said, "and we are ready with corporate, federal, and state incentives to assist them in making a move to Graham County."

Graham County has an estimated population of 8,736. The county seat of Robbinsville is nestled in the Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina near Fontana Lake and Lake Santeelah. Residents and tourists alike enjoy abundant outdoor recreation throughout the area like rafting, hiking, camping, fishing and hunting.

For more information, contact Andy Cable, Economic Development Director, Graham County at 828-479-7984 or andy.cable@grahamcounty.org