Jenkins Brick

Jenkins Brick & Tile Company is a Montgomery-based manufacturer and distributor of building materials. The company was founded in the late 19th century by Mike Jenkins, Sr in Wetumpka. Mike Jenkins IV is the current Chief Executive Officer. His son, Mike Jenkins V is president.

Jenkins became an entrepreneur after losing a leg in a railroad accident. He began by making and selling beehives. When the business grew large enough to require a new factory building, he found it economical to produce his own brick for the project, and soon turned to producing brick for sale. He opened a second, larger, brick plan in Montgomery in 1903, and moved the headquarters and warehousing operations to the new location.

Jenkins Brick has distribution facilities in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and South Carolina. It operates manufacturing plants in Montgomery, Coosada, and Moody, and has showrooms across the country, including Pelham and Tuscaloosa. Employment peaked at around 650 in 2008.

In 1998 the company converted its Montgomery Plant to use a mixture of natural gas and gas generated in landfills. In 2006 Jenkins Brick constructed a $45 million William M. Jordan, Jr Plant on U. S. Highway 78 near Moody which utilizes gas generated at and piped from the Star Ridge Landfill to provide 40% of the fuel for its kilns. The plant also employs extensive robotics to automate production. The plant, which was recognized as the Project of the Year by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency's "Landfill Methane Outreach Program," was idled during the Great Recession.

In 2011, Jenkins Brick & Tile was acquired by the Acme Brick Company of Fort Worth, Texas.

References

• Wilkinson, Kaija (August 13, 2006) "Jenkins Brick poised to bring $45M plant online." Birmingham Business Journal
• Jenkins, Mike V (October 8, 2008) "Green brick". Environmental Design + Construction
• Pruitt, Lori Chandler (April 2010) "Building Blocks". Business Alabama
• Cooper, Lauren B. (January 24, 2011) "Jenkins Brick & Tile sells to Acme Brick after a century in business." Birmingham Business Journal

External links

• Jenkins Brick website