U.S. Silica, Gov. Kemp Cut Ribbon on New Facility in Millen, Ga.

MILLEN, Ga. — U.S. Silica was joined by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Millen Mayor King Rocker for the grand opening and ribbon-cutting of a state-of-the art facility that will produce industrial roofing and construction products to be sold across the United States and internationally.

“The opening of this facility represents how businesses see unlimited opportunity in our state, and how our jobs-friendly economic climate is attracting innovative, dynamic companies like U.S. Silica,” said Gov. Kemp. “We are proud these cutting-edge U.S. Silica products will now bear the ‘Made in Georgia’ label.”

U.S. Silica purchased the facility in 2018, and will use it to domestically produce the company’s patented White Armor® Cool Roof Granules and EverWhite™ products. White Armor is an ecologically-friendly way for customers to save significant money in cooling costs, as it reflects 70 percent of the sun’s heat away from rooftops, while EverWhite is used to create popular, bright white countertops, tiles, and shower and tub materials.

“These are innovative, high-quality products that will enable customers to save on energy costs and improve the quality of their own products,” said Bryan Shinn, U.S. Silica’s president and CEO. “We needed a facility where we could make products that are up to our highest standards, with a strong workforce, dependable infrastructure, and state-of-the-art facilities, to meet growing customer demand, and that brought us to Georgia. We are incredibly excited to be a part of the Millen community.”

The plant was initially opened by another company in 2014 to produce ceramic proppants for use in oil and gas fracking operations, but an industry shift to sand proppants forced the plant to close just nine months later. The plant is expected to begin production of EverWhite and White Armor this fall.

“This is a great day for Millen," said Rocker, who also serves as Jenkins County Development Authority Chairman. "We would like to welcome U.S. Silica to our community. The plant will be a key contributor to our local economy for many years to come.”

U.S. Silica is a leading producer of commercial silica used in a wide range of industrial applications as well as in the oil and gas industry. The company currently operates 26 mines and production facilities and is headquartered in Katy, Texas.