[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 22 (Thursday, February 3, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S519-S520]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   RECOGNIZING POWELL VALLEY MILLWORK

 Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, as ranking member of the Senate 
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I recognize 
an outstanding Kentucky small business that exemplifies the American 
entrepreneurial spirit. This week, it is my privilege to recognize the 
small business, Powell Valley Millwork of Clay City, KY, as the Senate 
Small Business of the Week.
  Twenty-seven years ago Jim Thornberry and his son Jimmy left the 
mining industry behind in search of a new venture. Shortly thereafter, 
Powell Valley Mill work was founded. The Thornberrys started their mill 
with the desire to harvest a tangible product within a sustainable 
industry, and that mission has stayed at the heart of their business 
throughout their decades of growth and success.
  The talent and substance of Powell Valley Mill work draws directly 
from our State, with the mill focusing on only one species of lumber: 
poplar. As the State tree of Kentucky, poplar is an abundant resource 
within Appalachia, which makes their location in rural Clay City a 
prime spot for their operation. Often referred to as ``the painter's 
wood'' poplar is known for its clear grain, smooth milling, and paint-
taking qualities. The versatile and fine nature of the wood allows 
Powell Valley Millwork to supply consumers with a wide variety of 
interior-trim products, such as stretcher bars, door and window jambs, 
stair parts, cabinetry components, primed finger-joint interior trim, 
and more. In creating all these products, the Powell Valley millworkers 
make sure nothing goes to waste. Poplar can be safely used as animal 
bedding which means the mill's offcuts, those that are not already 
being used to fuel the company's wood drying kilns, are turned into 
shavings. These shavings are then bagged and shipped out by the truck 
load to be sold in a wide variety of retail outlets.
  This Powell County mill maintains their technology at a topnotch 
standard. In 2019, the owners invested in a new addition to the team: a 
sophisticated scanning rough mill line from Eagle Machinery & Supply, 
Inc. The new rough mill line is able to process 65,000 board feet of 
lumber in a single 8-hour shift with only six people required to 
operate it. The joint project between Powell and Eagle, both family 
companies, demonstrates that U.S. machinery manufacturers can 
successfully compete with Europeans in providing world-class technology 
to the North American wood processing industry.
  The Thornberrys keep their eye on efficiency and progress, opening up 
ownership of the company to experts outside the family, including Dale 
Budke, Powell Valley's Operations Manager. As a partner in this 
company, Dale provides the expertise necessary for navigating the 
growing Kentucky lumber industry. In 2019, Powell Valley Millwork 
acquired the Metrie Poplar manufacturing facility in nearby 
Jeffersonville, KY. With a new 125,000-square-foot location only 12 
miles from their original facility, the two locations utilize their 
natural synergies to support the needs of a diverse customer base 
across North

[[Page S520]]

America in full truck and railroad quantities.
  Powell Valley Millwork is a testament to the ingenuity and 
resourcefulness of Kentuckians. Drawing from our beautiful natural 
resources and employing over 200 local men and women, this business 
illustrates some of the best qualities Kentucky has to offer: fine 
craftsmanship and dedicated hard work. Powell Valley Millwork is a 
decades-old dream the Thornberrys had when they left the mining 
industry, a dream that has grown beyond what they had imagined. Small 
businesses like Powell Valley are the core of small towns across 
Kentucky, and like the poplars they use in their mill, their roots grow 
deep to help our communities flourish. Congratulations to the 
Thomberrys and the entire Powell Valley team. I wish them the best of 
luck and look forward to watching their continued growth and success in 
Kentucky.

                          ____________________