Business

HILLSVLLE — Vanguard Furniture will open a manufacturing plant for upholstered furniture in Carroll County in August, which could eventually create more than 200 new jobs.

Carroll officials announced plans Tuesday for Vanguard’s plant that will occupy the former Parkdale Building at the Carroll County Industrial Park.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe said in a news release that the Hickory, N.C.-based Vanguard Furniture will invest $550,000 to establish its first Virginia household furniture upholstery production operation in Carroll.

INDEPENDENCE — Robert Smith, representing Grayson LandCare, approached Independence Town Council at its June 10 meeting about the possibility of leasing the old Robert Shaw building.

Town council bought the former manufacturing plant building in March 2012.

Smith told council members that the number of food growers in Southwest Virginia has expanded enough to warrant the hiring of support personnel to provide logistics, facilities and marketing to take advantage of economics of scale, shared capital equipment and wholesale buyers.

INDEPENDENCE — An official with Nautilus Home Fitness Equipment last week confirmed there has been substantial interest from potential new owners of Med-Fit Systems’ Independence plant.

After two rounds of layoffs affecting at least 94 workers, Med-Fit announced April 21 that the plant at 709 Powerhouse Road and its assets had been put up for sale.

During a phone interview on June 20, Nautilus Chief Operating Officer Bill McMahon said there had been interest from several potential buyers.

HILLSVILLE — A bipartisan group of U.S. senators wants to clear the air about companies like Mohawk Industries in Hillsville that have worked to reduce pollution.