Southwire starts Starkville expansion projected to add 130 jobs

Construction is underway on Southwire’s Starkville manufacturing campus expansion, a project planned to add approximately 380,000 square feet and about 130 jobs. Gray and Southwire announced the groundbreaking on Oct. 5, 2026. The project expands an existing site rather than establishing a new one.

Construction Review Online reports that the groundbreaking ceremony took place Oct. 1. The Gray and Southwire announcement does not specify the ceremony date.

New manufacturing space and tower

Gray is providing design-build services. Its stated construction scope includes demolishing two existing structures totaling roughly 40,000 square feet and building new manufacturing space, including a six-story extrusion tower. Gray and Southwire say Southwire’s existing operations will remain active during construction.

About 130 new jobs are projected, not reported as positions already filled. Nearly 250 workers are expected to be at the site during peak construction, according to the company-contractor announcement.

The added capacity is expected to reach full capacity in 2028. Construction Review Online describes the project as an investment of more than $256 million; the Gray and Southwire announcement does not state an investment amount. The work now underway is the expansion’s construction phase, with 2028 identified as the target for full capacity.