BUSINESS GREATER FLORENCE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MEMBER OF THE MONTH
A LEGACY OF BRICK MAKERS 1919 J.L. Anderson founded Palmetto Brick on the shores of the picturesque Great Pee Dee River in South Carolina 1950s Palmetto Brick commissioned the building of its first tunnel kiln, the Allied 1968 A Lingl kiln producing 40 million brick annually was installed in the facility 1978 A second Lingl kiln was installed to keep up with Palmetto Brick’s immense popularity 1985 Purchased Roger Moore Brick and Tile Company in Wilmington, NC 1990s An independent shapes-forming facility was created to serve the highdesign niche market 1990 Purchased Union Masonry Supply in Monroe, NC 1995 Opened a new Palmetto Brick showroom in Florence, SC // Purchased Waccamaw Brick Company in Myrtle Beach, SC 2000s The 1968 Lingl kiln was overhauled to keep up with production demands 2006 Palmetto Brick unveils its $28M production facility, one of the most technologically advanced brick manufacturing plants in the country 2008 Moved Roger Moore Brick to a new showroom in Hampstead, NC 2015 Rebranded Roger Moore Brick, Waccamaw Brick, and Union Masonry Supply. All became Palmetto Brick Company showrooms 2017 Constructed a solar farm that generates up to 35% of the electricity to run the manufacturing facility
www.palmettobrick.com
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VIPMagSC.com
June 2021
THE BEST BRICK ON THE BLOCK story by Kim Brauss
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almetto Brick, the largest family-owned brick maker in the state, was created in 1919 by J. L. Anderson just over a hundred years ago. From its inception, the company focused on making a quality product at a fair price. And its mission – to manufacture a superior product that combines the highest quality materials with top-notch service – has withstood the test of time. In the beginning, Anderson used traditional beehive kilns and the railway line in the Great Pee Dee River valley. Anderson’s focus and vision remain as four generations of the Anderson family master craftsmen now direct the company. The company has grown – from its sales to its facilities – including a $28 million production facility unveiled in 2006. It has one of the most technologically advanced brick manufacturing plants in the country. One of the country’s only American-owned and -operated brick companies, The Greater Florence Area Chamber recognized Palmetto Brick as its Member of the Month. Palmetto Brick’s plant is located in Wallace. The direct sales operations are in Florence, Myrtle Beach, Hampstead, N.C., and Monroe, N.C. Its distributor network is across the United States for all other markets, including Canada. One building in Florence recognizable for its work is Francis Marion University’s new building in downtown Florence: the Luther F. Carter Center for Health Sciences located at 200 W. Evans St. The Florence office was founded in 1995 to serve the lower Pee Dee region. Brick is the preferred exterior material in most of the United States. It dramatically increases a home’s value and outperforms vinyl, wood, and fiber cement.
