"As most of you know Carpenter Design, Inc. suffered a devastating fire on July 1^st. We have been overwhelmed by the tremendous outpour of support, prayer and encouragement from so many people in our county and beyond.  It certainly has been challenging to continue operations following this tragedy. However, we are encouraged by the recovery of our injured employee, Billy Tessenair, who continues to make good progress. He still has a long road to a full recovery and needs our continued prayers, but we give thanks to God for Billy’s improvement and for his optimistic spirit.  

In the wake of such a loss, we still have much to be thankful for. Our entire pallet recycling plant was destroyed by the fire, but our mulch coloring facilities were basically unharmed and have kept production on schedule. Thanks to the help of several friends, we were able to operate the pallet business out of two separate locations in the county and keep deliveries ongoing.

With the acquisition of the Hanesbrand plant on Main St., Forest City, our pallet operation is fully functional. This facility gives us room to expand our recycling efforts as well as the possibility to attract new businesses that require warehouse and distribution facilities.

We have also received a rural development matching fund grant based on job creation that can be used to upgrade the building. We must now press forward to create new jobs, be more efficient in existing ones, and work hard to make the most of our new opportunities."

                                                             - Tom Carpenter, Owner