American made hardwood furniture has always been coveted. But it isn’t just vintage finds, Amish builds, or neighborhood wood shops. Gat Creek, a 30-year-old American furniture company, has just completed a $10 million expansion to its manufacturing space.
All that cost didn’t just go to fancier equipment. The investment included a 40% increase in facility space and new local jobs. The history of Gat Creek goes back over 70 years, and each step of the way, they’ve been made in America.
About Gat Creek
The founder of what is now Gat Creek started his business, then Tom Seely Furniture, after coming home from serving in WWII. The current owner, Gat Caperton, bought the company in 1996, right after graduating from business school.
Gat Creek is much the same company it was when it was named 30 years ago. They build hardwood products, with lumbar sourced sustainably from the Appalachian Forest. One of the leading ethos has been to remain American made. Mass production has never been a trait of Gat Creek. In fact, each finished furniture piece is even signed by the craftsperson who made it in the Berkeley Springs facility.
Before owning the company, Gat Caperton had a goal to operate a manufacturing business in West Virginia, his home state. And he did exactly that. Gat Creek now boasts a robust catalog with over 240 designs, all crafted with pride in West Virginia in their own facility and with the help of domestic partners. Gat Creek focuses on high-quality products and investing in America. That’s why, in 2022, they announced a massive expansion to their factory, which has just been completed this month.
The Expansion
Gat Caperton first revealed his expansion plans over a year ago. At the time, short-term sales were on the decline. That didn’t dissuade him from setting his lens on the future. Gat stated, “The expansion is long-term. We need to grow to provide the best furniture and service to our customers.”
When the final steel beam of the expansion framework went up, everyone in the company came out to sign it. Now that the entire renovation is complete, the facility is outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment, and 65 new jobs were added to the roster. The footprint of the space grew by 40% and now occupies 140,000 square feet.
Among the lineup of new equipment are optimizing saws, CNC equipment, a dust collection system, and more. The goal of the redesign was to streamline the production line, letting the machines do the repetitive work while the humans focus on art and detail. The result is faster delivery, a safer workplace, doubled capacity, and a boosted local economy.
Built in America by America
The employees of Gat Creek are the highlight of the brand. They believe in supporting their local community and highly value the people that make up their team. People stay at Gat Creek for over 10 years on average, and 53% of the employees are women. The company is integral to its local community and remains a choice employer in the Berkeley Springs area.
The company is committed to remain in America, amidst the tough competition of cheaper brands. “It takes a lot of capital to build furniture in America,” stated Gat, “but we can be competitive thanks to the technology. Maybe it’s impossible to get back to where this industry once was, but it sure feels nice that the pendulum is swinging back.”
Image credit: Gat Creek
