Kith Kitchens, an Alabama-based maker of high-quality cabinets, plans to invest $11 million to open a new manufacturing facility in Florence that will create 131 full-time jobs.

Kith Kitchens will purchase a 150,000-square-foot speculative building pad and 11.5 acres in the Florence-Lauderdale Industrial Park. The company plans to start construction soon with a goal of beginning operations next summer.

“We are excited to work with the Shoals Economic Development Authority, the state of Alabama and the Tennessee Valley Authority to build this facility and hire a new team in Florence, which, working in conjunction with our team in Haleyville, will help us continue the growth and success of Kith Kitchens,” CEO Mark Smith said.

Kith Kitchens is adding a second factory in Florence after demand for its cabinets outgrew its facility in Haleyville. (Kith Kitchens)

Growth plans

Shoals EDA Vice President Adam Himber said demand for Kith Kitchens’ cabinets has outgrown the capacity at the company’s facility in Haleyville. The company chose the Shoals because of a first-class workforce and shovel-ready industrial property, he said.

“A couple of years ago the Shoals EDA developed an aggressive product development plan that included the construction of a new road and speculative building pad in the Florence-Lauderdale Industrial Park,” Himber said. “The speculative building pad will allow Kith Kitchens to become operational quicker to meet the ever-growing demand in their industry.”

The success of the project can be attributed to a collaborative effort with the Alabama Department of Commerce, AIDT and TVA, Himber said.

The Shoals EDA  began building the 150,000-square-foot speculative building pad earlier this year in preparation for future development.

Kith is a family-owned business founded in 1998.

This story originally appeared on the Alabama Department of Commerce’s Made in Alabama website.