Over the past few months, we have been able to showcase several Bedford businesses to our guests from state and local economic development offices.

We kicked off our Bedford ONE 2022-23 school year industry tours on September 28 with a visit to Sam Moore Furniture in Bedford. Seventeen students and six adults from Staunton River High School and Jefferson Forest High School got a bird’s eye view into one of the largest manufacturing plants in the town of Bedford.

Participants were able to see, touch, and feel some items still in production and they also got a sneak peek at brand-new items that the company had recently constructed based on a concept picture provided by a designer. These “sneak peek” items will be showcased at the International Home Furnishings Center in High Point, NC. This is the world’s largest home furnishings industry trade show and buyers’ market.

In October we returned to see our friends at Custom One Source in Forest, VA. Fun fact: the name of the company actually is a play on words. Custom Truck One Source wants to be the only place that offers one-stop shopping for your heavy equipment needs. Whether you want to purchase a new customized piece of machinery, or need to rent specific equipment, Custom Truck One Source has it all. In fact, they have the largest fleet of rental equipment in the country! The Forest location is their 2nd largest facility nationwide and employs over 180 people.

We also hopped over to Tannery Road in Forest where we met with Mr. Petty, President of Moore & Giles (who referred to himself as employee #6). Mr. Petty shared that he was the sixth employee hired many years ago and has worked in every aspect of the organization since he started. He then shared the rich history of the company which was founded in 1933.

In addition to sharing the history of the company, he explained several projects they are currently working on, and products they have available online, followed by an educational lesson on leather combined with a tour of the facility.