Georgia Family Grows Success with Faircloth Forest Products
“The best friend on earth of man is the tree. When we use the tree respectfully and economically, we have one of the greatest resources on the earth.”
― Frank Lloyd Wright
When opportunity is all around you, you pay attention. If you’re Danny Faircloth and you grow up amid 300,000 acres of trees, you harness every single bit of this natural resource to build a thriving and sustainable family-owned business from the ground up.
Georgia is home to more commercially farmed forests than any other state in the nation. More than 91% of its 22 million acres are privately owned. The bulk of this wealth and the industry that surrounds it can be found in the middle of the state – the “wood basket” of Georgia.
Faircloth family roots run as deep here as the trees the family harvests. From a logging and sawmill operation in the early 1990s, Faircloth Forest Products (FFP), a family-owned business, has expanded several times, adding a wood pellet mill and investing in a carbon plant, as well as mills in Lumber City, Georgia, and a neighboring state. The company employs about 100 workers over its various operations.
Building a sustainable business from the ground up – raising, cutting and milling trees, converting them into bioenergy through the manufacture of wood pellets and re-purposing the resulting carbon ash into filtration products – three generations of Faircloths are parlaying this natural resource into wood products sent from Emanuel County throughout the U.S. and around the world.
With commitment like this, Faircloth Forest Products is a resounding success story in the state and a strong advocate for manufacturing in Georgia, even leasing a 75,000-square-foot building to Wincore Window Systems, a manufacturer that located in the county in 2018 with assistance from the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD).
Early in his term as Georgia Governor, Brian Kemp visited Faircloth’s Swainsboro plant during a tour to raise awareness of Georgia-made products and promote the critical contributions rural Georgia makes to the state’s economy. Company founder and owner Danny Faircloth believes GDEcD’s Georgia Made™ program, which provides additional support in logistics, manufacturing and marketing of products produced in Georgia, will help the timber industry.
“Georgia is a major supplier of lumber in the country, and people should know about that,” he says. “We’re in a place that’s the best on both ends, with ample product all around us and the ports close enough to truck them to.”
Other state and local agencies have provided assistance along the way, helping with site acquisition, transportation and utility improvements. In addition to GDEcD, the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Georgia Forestry Commission have supported FFP’s growth.
“Georgia does a good job of protecting its forests,” says Faircloth. “When the Georgia Forestry Commission says the state is growing more than it’s cutting, you know the product is plentiful here, and sustainable forestry practices have supported growth.”
Today, Faircloth Forest Products makes and trucks 200,000 tons of pellets annually to the Georgia Ports in Savannah and Brunswick for export to markets in Europe. The continent is the world’s foremost consumer of wood pellets, which are burned for fuel. The company also makes 100 million board-feet of lumber each year for U.S. markets. A major customer is CHEP, the largest pallet manufacturer in the world, which sought out Faircloth so it could consolidate its business with one supplier.
Faircloth founded the company with the intent of making it a family operation, providing the opportunity for his two sons that he himself was unable to experience with his father, who passed away at an early age. Son Jeremy operates the sawmill and pellet mill, while Ben oversees the carbon plant. Faircloth grandchildren are also learning the business.
Danny Faircloth’s wife Karen is part of the family enterprise, operating the Georgia Sports Arena, which has grown from a riding ring for their grandchildren into a venue hosting concerts, rodeos, circuses and other events. The arena features a 220-site campground that the state calls into service as an evacuation site when needed during hurricane season.
“We have a true family partnership,” says Faircloth. “Each of us has the passion and drive to do our best and succeed, even when times are challenging. It hasn’t all been a bed of roses but we’re proud of what we’ve been able to do here in Georgia and for our community.”
Consistently ranked the “#1 State for Business” for seven years running, Georgia’s skilled workforce, reliable infrastructure, low taxes, high state credit ratings and development resources are here to help you start and grow your business. Visit Georgia Made to take the next step in expanding your success.