This project supported the construction and equipping of a 400,000 square foot oriented strand board manufacturing facility in Shuqualak, Mississippi, a rural, non-metropolitan community located in a county with persistent poverty and economic distress.The facility manufactures high-performance structural panels, including ZIP System and AdvanTech products, which support sustainable building practices through improved energy efficiency and reduced construction waste.Designed as Huber Engineered Woods’’ most environmentally friendly strand board facility to date, the plant will operate with zero waste-to-landfill goals, meet approximately 70% of its energy needs through on-site recycled wood residue, and source timber responsibly within a 100-mile radius under Sustainable Forestry Initiative Fiber Sourcing Standards.The project is expected to create 158 full-time jobs, all of which will offer wages above the local living wage and include comprehensive benefits and training opportunities.The majority of these jobs will be accessible to individuals from the surrounding low-income community, many of whom do not have a college degree.Huber Engineered Woods will work with East Mississippi Community College, Mississippi State University, Accelerate MS, MS Career Coach Outreach, and local school districts to recruit and train workers.In addition to direct job creation, the project will stimulate the local economy by increasing demand for timber harvesting, trucking, logging, and machinery repair services.This investment positions Shuqualak and the surrounding region as a hub for sustainable wood products manufacturing and supports long-term economic development in a historically part of the American South.