LA-Z-BOY IN DAYTON
* 1973 - La-Z-Boy plant starts operations* 1982 - East side of factory expanded* 1986 - West side of plant expanded* 1990 - Sleeper plant built* 1999 - Warehouse expanded* 2017 - Work starts on new innovation center, plant upgradesSource: La-Z-Boy
DAYTON, Tenn. - La-Z-Boy users one day may operate their chairs with their iPhones, said company Chief Executive Kurt Darrow.
"It's vitally important," he said about innovation for the Monroe, Mich.-based business. "It's one of the things that makes us different."
The furniture maker Friday marked the start of work on a $16 million innovation center next to its sprawling manufacturing plant in Dayton. The 70,000-square-foot center will serve as the innovation hub for the entire company, Darrow said.
The center, to be located across the road from the entrance to its 1.2 million-square-foot Dayton campus, is part of $26 million in improvements the company is undertaking at its largest facility in the United States.
The production plant, which makes about 40 percent of all La-Z-Boy furniture, also will receive about $10 million in upgrades and renovations, according to the company.
About 115 more employees will be added to the 1,400 people who now work for La-Z-Boy in Dayton, where more than 800,000 pieces of furniture are made every year.
On Friday, some 50 workers donning bright blue shirts with the slogan "Build Something Amazing" cheered the groundbreaking ceremony for the state-of-the-art center.
Gregg Schweir, the company's vice president of research and development (R&D), said the work is a commitment to customers, employees and the Dayton community.
"We build great products and spend a lot of time innovating," he said. "It's an investment in people. It will keep us competitive for years to come."
Allen Borden, assistant commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, lauded the addition of manufacturing jobs. But, he said, Tennessee is seeing more R&D facilities.
Borden said the state's workforce and improved education offerings are the biggest reason why Tennessee is making R&D strides.
"The No. 1 thing is the workforce and the link between economic development and education," he said.
The new center will about double the size of the company's existing facility in Dayton, Darrow said. It will have much more equipment and hold added space for working teams, he said.
The facility will house about 75 people, and the company has already hired more employees in anticipation of its construction, the company CEO said.
"This is actually designed to be an innovation center," he said, in contrast to the existing site.
The center will have a model shop, technology center, test lab and 3-D printing capabilities, according to the company about the facility that's slated to open in 14 months.
The center being so close to the production plant is key, Darrow said, noting that every idea must be commercially viable.
"If you've got an idea, you can walk across the street and ask 'What do you think about this?'" he said. Product changes can be made in the design phase, which is beneficial, Darrow said.
Don Mather, vice president of La-Z-Boy Tennessee, said the work will "drive a stake in the ground" for Dayton. It will help the company be an innovative leader in its industry, he added.
Dennis Tumlin, the Rhea County Economic and Tourism Council's executive director, said several states competed for the La-Z-Boy expansion.
"When we landed it, it showed a long-term commitment," he said, noting the company has had a presence in Rhea County for more than 40 years.
The plant is the only La-Z-Boy facility that makes furniture in all three upholstery categories - recliners, motion sofas and stationary upholstery, according to the company.
It also makes about 90 percent of the various frame styles in the company's manufacture-branded product line. The Dayton plant services the Southeast, Midwest and Northeast parts of the country.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.