ROCKY MOUNT — More than five years after it was first announced, Traditional Medicinals broke ground Tuesday on a new manufacturing plant in Summit View Business Park.
“This is a great time for Franklin County. It’s been a long time coming,†said Ronnie Thompson, chairman of the Franklin County Board of Supervisors, who was one of several speakers at the groundbreaking event.
Plans for a plant at the business park were first announced in January 2020. A global pandemic just two months later put the project on a five-year freeze as the company focused on essential operations. Moving forward once again, Thompson said the plant will mean a $47 million investment by the privately held, California-based company. The 125,000-square-foot plant is expected to create 57 jobs at the plant with an average annual salary of more than $70,000.
Franklin County Administrator Chris Whitlow speaks to the crowd at Tuesday’s groundbreaking for Traditional Medicinals’ new manufacturing plant at Summit View Business Park.
“This project will create meaningful opportunities for our residents and drive long term economic growth,†Thompson said. “We are excited to watch their facility take shape and see the positive impact they will have on our county for years to come.â€
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A rendering of the future Traditional Medicinals plant in Franklin County.
Traditional Medicinals CEO Joe Stanziano said the new manufacturing plant is the natural evolution of the company’s 50 years of growth as they experience “unprecedented global demand†in herbal wellness. The expansion into a new plant helps the company to meet that growing demand, he said, and bring them closer to their East Coast customer base and closer to Virginia ports where they import herbs.
“We are committed to beginning operation in late summer of 2026 with full operation by winter of 2026,†Stanziano said. “We are moving quickly because we are excited to bring TM to Virginia.â€
Traditional Medicinals CEO Joe Stanziano was one of several speakers at Tuesday’s groundbreaking.
The project is being supported by a $350,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund. The Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission also contributed $245,000 from the Tobacco Region Opportunity Fund.
The company will begin recruiting for job openings this year in conjunction with the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program.
Two members of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s cabinet were also in attendance at Tuesday’s groundbreaking. Secretary of Agriculture Matt Lohr and Secretary of Commerce Juan Pablo Segura congratulated Traditional Medicinals in their move to the commonwealth and to Franklin County.
“Welcome to Franklin County, it is a real gift to have you here and you can see by the scenery and the people and the community that it’s a great place to be,†Lohr said to the Traditional Medicinals staff during his speech.
State Sen. Bill Stanley also spoke on Tuesday, thanking Traditional Medicinals for continuing with the project even after extended delays due to the pandemic. He also congratulated the staff of Franklin County in their perseverance in the project.
“Five years later, this is now a reality,†Stanley said.
