After months of construction and development, Kimber Manufacturing and Rex Lumber are both set to open some time in June.

“When you go from red clay to two multi-million dollar businesses that will employ hundreds of people it’s a huge thing,” said Mayor Jason Reeves. “There’s still a little ways to go, but it’s amazing how far we come; everything is beginning to take shape and people are beginning to be hired. That process will continue throughout the rest of this year.”

Rex Lumber Troy is nearly finished constructing the new state-of-the-art saw mill on the 214-acre site off County Road 7714.

The construction brought a capital investment of $100 million and the company has promised to employ more than 110 people initially, with more expansion planned.

Kimber Manufacturing is expanding its production with the new Troy facility and is already partially operational. The company promised to invest more than $35 million with construction and promised to employ more than 360 jobs initially.

“It’s just amazing to see how much progress has been made,” Reeves said. “To have two world-class companies come online almost a the same time is a huge thing.”

With Lockheed Martin recently breaking ground on an expansion poised to invest $112 million and create an additional 100 jobs and other economic development projects underway with the City of Troy, Reeves said it is a truly special time of growth in Pike County.

“If you look at it, we’re going to be creating about [as] many jobs over the next year [as the current number of people unemployed in Pike County],” Reeves said. “There’s not very many communities that can say that.”