🏗️ Sims-Lohman’s 63,000-sq.-ft. plant opens in Crestview
👷 Ninety new local jobs expected when fully operational
📦 Facility will serve as Gulf Coast distribution + fabrication hub
CRESTVIEW — Sims-Lohman celebrated the grand opening of its new Crestview facility on Tuesday, marking an expansion for the Ohio-based cabinetry and countertop distributor and a boost for Okaloosa County’s growing manufacturing sector.
The company’s new 63,000-square-foot complex, located across from Bob Sikes Airport, includes 40,000 square feet of distribution space, 20,000 square feet for fabrication, and new offices for its Gulf Coast operations. Company officials said the site will serve as Sims-Lohman’s primary distribution and fabrication hub for the Gulf Coast region.
“This is going to be one of our major distribution points for the Gulf Coast region,” said Sims-Lohman President Joe Kline. “It will be our only fabrication countertop fabrication point for the Gulf Coast region.”
Kline traced the company’s roots to 1971 and its growth across 12 states in the Midwest and Southeast, with 12 distribution centers, seven fabrication operations, and 35 showrooms.
The company employs about 700 people and generates roughly $300 million in annual revenue.
“Our journey to Crestview really started in 2024,” Kline said. “We made a couple of acquisitions in 2024 … bringing those two businesses together really created our presence in this market. It gave us a tremendous amount of presence in the kitchen cabinet side of the business. We have aspirations of being in the capital business as well, and unfortunately, we just couldn’t find the right partner to partner with. So we decided to go ahead and look, and that’s really what led us here to this Crestview operation.”
Crestview and county officials praised the opening as a sign of economic vitality in North Okaloosa County.
“It’s just a welcome reminder to see what can happen when we all put our heads together and work toward a common goal,” said John Feeny, chairman of the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce.
Crestview Mayor JB Whitten welcomed the company and said the project will have a lasting impact on the city’s workforce and economy.
“You can have a big impact on our city—people working here, people coming here, people doing business here,” said Whitten. “And so we’re very, very excited to have you all here joining us.”
Okaloosa County Commissioner Paul Mixon said the facility’s opening represents both economic renewal and long-term community growth.
“It was a sad day when we learned not that long ago that this building was going to be vacated,” Mixon said. “It was so exciting to learn the interest, to see Sims-Lohman come in, and to see the opportunities of what [it means] for our region, because of the regional approach that you’re going to take … to be able to reach out and send business elsewhere and be able to [grow].”
Mixon said the county’s infrastructure investments, including new roads, interchange projects, and airport improvements, are creating an environment that fosters business growth and success.
“It’s an exciting time to be in the north, be in the area of Crestview,” he said. “This is a great spot to be. We’re excited to have you here. I hope you feel just as welcome as we are.”
After the remarks, officials and company leaders gathered for a ribbon-cutting, followed by tours of Sims-Lohman’s fabrication and distribution facilities.
Once the plant is fully operational, the company will host 90 new, high-paying jobs.
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
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