Townsend Flooring, a manufacturer that will offer a line of 5/8” unfinished, sawn-faced engineered hardwood flooring, will launch next January. The company will be based in Warren, Ark., in the former Armstrong (Sykes) plant, and run by Wil Maxwell (Maxwell Hardwood Flooring's director of operations and Ouachita Hardwood Flooring co-owner),and Shay Dugul (Ouachita co-owner and general manager). The company expects to employ 25 people at start-up and be running at 50 percent capacity in the first few months.

The company is the vision of four hardwood veterans from the region: owners Tommy Maxwell and Kristi Maxwell-Prince of Maxwell Hardwood Flooring in Monticello, Ark., and Dugal and Maxwell of sister company Ouachita in Warren, Ark.

“Townsend Flooring will have the desired aesthetics of solid flooring while maintaining the versatility and stability of an engineered product,” noted Wil Maxwell. “Over the past several years, I have witnessed this type of flooring gain significant market share. The Townsend Additions line launches a new dimension of Maxwell products and creates synergy with our customers.”

The Townsend name has been around for generations and is best known for the pre-finished Townsend solid hardwood plank paneling produced by the Townsend family and later by Potlatch Corp. of Stuttgart, Ark. Potlatch sold the trademark to Maxwell Hardwood Flooring in the mid-’90s along with the Bradley plant in Stuttgart. Since that time, all operations have been moved back to Monticello and new operations have been added in Warren where both Maxwell and Ouachita produce a solid unfinished flooring product in a variety of widths and species.

Currently all products manufactured by Ouachita are marketed and sold under the Maxwell brand name. Townsend Flooring will be produced exclusively for Maxwell Hardwood under the Townsend Additions trademark. The new line will be added to the numerous lines of unfinished products already offered by the company.

“This product completes our package of unfinished U.S.A manufactured hardwood floors. It’s a great product and will complement our existing product lines,” noted Tommy Maxwell, Maxwell Hardwood Flooring's president and ceo.

Maxwell Hardwood Flooring has been in business since 1992. The company ranks in the top five producers of solid unfinished hardwood flooring nationally. Ouachita Hardwood Flooring opened its doors in 2005. Combined, the two companies employ 200 people from around the region.