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Ames Copper Group outlines major expansion, cites local plant’s national role
Summary
Ames Copper Group told commissioners its Cleveland County smelter produces about 100 million pounds of recycled copper annually, employs roughly 225 people, and plans to expand smelting capacity to 1.2 million pounds per day over the next 2½–3 years; the company flagged increased truck traffic and ongoing coordination with state transportation and environmental agencies.
Dayne Willis, President of Operations for Ames Copper Group, updated the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 3 about the company’s operations at its Old Boiling Springs Road facility and plans to expand. Willis said the site currently processes about 100 million pounds of recycled copper annually, yields anodes refined to around 99.5% purity, employs approximately 225 people, and "accounts for approximately 10% of the domestic copper supply."
Willis described the existing plant as Phase I of a larger development. Planned Phase II work would expand the facility’s footprint and increase daily smelting capacity from roughly 400,000 pounds to 1.2 million pounds within about 2½–3 years, and could include an on-site refining "tank house" to produce 99.99% purity and avoid overseas shipment. He acknowledged truck-traffic growth "from approximately 50 trucks per week to as many as 150 trucks per day" and said ACG is working with Cleveland County and the North Carolina Department of Transportation on staging areas, an internal two-lane queuing roadway, and other mitigation measures.
Commissioners who toured the site praised employee morale and the operation’s economic contributions. The presentation noted ACG’s environmental controls, including a gas treatment system and ongoing testing overseen by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, and cited nearly $120,000 in local community contributions over the past year for sponsorships, scholarships and donations. The Board committed to continued coordination with state partners on infrastructure needs related to the expansion.
