New World Flooring Inc. a start-up company that manufactures flooring lumber and parts will launch operations in Albany, KY and hire 30 new full–time employees this year. Learn about their new sawmill and manufacturing plant below.

FRANKFORT, KY – Start up, New World Flooring, Inc., a manufacturer of flooring lumber and parts, launched in Albany, KY. The company will create approximately 30 new full–time jobs and invest over $3 million in the Commonwealth.

New World Flooring plans to reopen the 28,000 square–foot former Bluegrass Cooperage plant, located on a 45–acre site in Clinton County. The existing facility, which includes a sawmill, barrel stave operation and dry kilns, will be reconfigured to begin sawing premium lumber for the flooring industry.

A second phase of the project will include the construction of a 12,000 square–foot flooring plant to produce the engineered flooring parts. The product will then be sold direct to main flooring mills, including distributors in Europe and China. Technology will allow New World Flooring to produce lumber and veneers in an environmentally friendly process.

"We will be seeking certifications from the International Organization for Standardization, the Forest Stewardship Council and several other environmental certifications," said Richard Blinkhorn, President of New World Flooring, Inc. "Nothing will go to waste."

The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) preliminarily approved New World Flooring Inc. for tax incentives up to $750,000 under the former Kentucky Rural Economic Development Act. Additionally, KEDFA approved New World Flooring for up to $18,000 under the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act, an incentive program that allows approved companies to recoup sales and use tax on construction and building materials.