Comfort Bilt Windows and Doors has manufactured millions of storm doors and windows at its Davie County plant during the past 17 years.

Part of the LARSON family of companies, Comfort Bilt began operations in Mocksville in 1999 with one product. Today, nine product lines are manufactured by 200 employees from Davie and surrounding counties.

The company manufactures stock and custom storm doors and windows, including many sold at Lowe’s and other home improvement stores.

Comfort Bilt has flown under the Davie County radar for years, but Michael Barron, plant manager, would like to change that and share with the community what makes Comfort Bilt an exceptional place to work.

“I don’t know that the community knows that we are here, what we do, or how much opportunity we have to offer,” Barron said. “We are proud of the fact that we’ve never had a layoff, even during the recession. We’ve added a new product line about every 1.5 years and will be adding another new one next year.”

The company is hiring as many as 20 new employees in preparation for the new product line that debuts next year. Debbie’s Staffing and The Resource are taking applications for those positions since temporary to permanent is the way the company has hired most of its employees.

In addition to good benefits, Barron is proud of little extras the company offers its employees like turkeys and hams at Thanksgiving and Christmas and a trip to Carowinds for full-time employees and their families.

Comfort Bilt got its start in Davie County in 1999 as the first tenant of the SouthPoint Business Park on US 601 North in Mocksville. Its parent company, LARSON Manufacturing, headquartered in Brookings, S.D., had been seeking an East Coast location.

According to Barron, the company desired a location in a growing area near an interstate, with competitive property prices, good utilities, and a skilled labor force where it could develop a good working relationship with city and county government.

At the same time, Joe Hollingsworth of the Hollingsworth group was looking for a manufacturer to anchor his brand new business park by purchasing or leasing the first 86,000 square foot speculation building. That original 86,000 square feet expanded to 194,000 square feet in 2004.

LARSON liked the location and Hollingsworth was willing to accommodate the company’s  needs by flying an architect out to the plant in Brookings to ensure that the new Mocksville location would meet all requirements.

Terry Bralley, president of Davie County Economic Development, said it was a match made in heaven.

“Without the business park, LARSON wouldn’t be here, and without LARSON, there’d be no business park. The venture also served as a learning curve for the Davie County community, teaching us how to attract industry and how to create jobs,” he said.

Comfort Bilt Windows and Doors and the SouthPoint Business Park have helped fuel the manufacturing boom that has provided Davie County with hundreds of jobs as well as increased tax base.

“We are growing, and where there is growth, there is opportunity,” Barron said.