Business Spotlight: In the Woodworks

When the unrealized potential of Architectural Components Group Inc. in Marshfield became apparent, Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based Armstrong World Industries Inc. (NYSE: AWI) stepped in with a big shot in the arm. AWI acquired ACGI in 2019 and quickly invested $8 million in the custom wood wall and ceiling manufacturing plant to bring a 50,000-square-foot expansion to fruition. 

“Armstrong understood the growth potential we had here in Marshfield,” Plant Manager David San Paolo says, “and wanted to ensure that we had the capacity to handle that growth.”

Parent company AWI generated $937 million in revenue in 2020 and employs approximately 2,800 people nationwide. The company is known for its ceiling, wall and suspension system solutions used in commercial and residential design and construction.

ACGI is one of 15 facilities in its manufacturing network. Officials declined to disclose the local annual revenue, though according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting, the plant has produced annual revenues of $35 million in recent years.

The plan to break ground for the expansion in March 2020 was delayed by one month to 


implement COVID-19 safety protocols but was completed one month ahead of schedule. The new building was occupied at the start of the year.

Before the expansion, San Paolo says operations were split into two facilities and required the use of trucks to transport materials back and forth. The roughly 130,000-square-foot plant now has plenty of room for all materials and employees in one place.

Products and projects
The facility helps streamline production of ACGI’s products, which are used for appearance as well as function.

“We manufacture the most beautiful wood products available in North America,” San Paolo says.

The use of natural wood species and painted products are current trends San Paolo has noticed in the industry, but he says it’s tough to determine which looks are most popular since every project is custom. Former jobs may be used as a general guide to get started, but no two projects are alike.

While designs vary, one of the purposes of wood walls and ceilings is consistent – acoustic corrections, including for reflective and absorptive purposes. Concert halls and auditoriums are obvious venues in need of this correction, but acoustics affect every setting. Schools, churches and hospitals are all in the company’s portfolio.

Locals may be familiar with ACGI’s work, which can be found in campus concert halls and auditoriums at Drury, Evangel and Missouri State universities. The Barnett Recital Hall at Evangel University, for example, is one. The company also helped with rebuilding medical facilities in Joplin after the destruction caused by the 2011 tornado.

Thinking bigger
Nationally, a project the company contributed to was the expansion of the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee. The project’s lead designer, Curtis Lesh of Tuck-Hinton Architecture and Design, says the team hired ACGI through the project’s general contractor. The expansion was completed in 2013 and doubled the size of the existing museum.

ACGI’s primary role was providing the wood products for the museum’s 800-seat theater. The theater was designed to have a round shape, with the goal of giving visitors the feeling of being in a whiskey barrel.

“This is the worst layout acoustically,” Lesh says.

ACGI was able to create a custom solution. Lesh says he had worked with similar companies before the Country Music Hall of Fame project, but none offered products as customizable.

Fans of different music genres may recognize two of the company’s other notable projects – the historic Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C., and Steinway Hall in New York. ACGI caters to sports fans, too, as its portfolio includes the San Francisco 49ers Legacy Club and the Philadelphia Eagles Touchdown Club.

ACGI’s San Paolo says the Marshfield plant is on track for more growth. This includes an increase in production capacity and office jobs, as he says the new building has the capacity for up to 50 new employees. Sustainability initiatives are in the works, too.

ACGI’s San Paolo says the Marshfield plant is on track for more growth. This includes an increase in production capacity and office jobs, as he says the facility currently has the capacity for 40-50 additional employees. Sustainability initiatives are in the works, too.

Officials say the collaboration of ACGI with parent company AWI has created advantages for both parties. The Marshfield plant benefits from the parent company’s sales team, while AWI benefits from the addition of the custom wood walls and ceilings to its collection of products.

Much of the growth must also be credited to good leadership. Jennifer Johnson, the director of corporate communications for AWI, says San Paolo’s leadership is critical to the success of the plant. He joined the company nine years ago, and his style promotes cohesive relationships between different teams within the plant, such as the financial, sustainability and safety teams.

“We trust our plant managers wholeheartedly,” she says, “and he has done a dynamite job with the facility.”