By Wesley Brown, Arkansas Delta Informer Editor

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Aug. 4, 2026 – Nearly two years after Trex Company Inc. held a topping-off ceremony at the Port of Little Rock, the Winchester, Va.-based composite decking manufacturer said it is “accelerating the timeline” for its ongoing expansion in Arkansas to support its goal of reaching $2 billion in sales over the next five years.

During the company’s second quarter earnings call on Tuesday, Trex CEO and President Adam Zambanini told Wall Street analysts that “wood conversion remains a key long-term growth opportunity, and the improvement in consumer demand is enabling us to accelerate the ramp-up of decking production in our Arkansas facility by more than six months to the third quarter of 2026.”

“As our most efficient manufacturing site, Arkansas strengthens our ability to serve high-growth Sunbelt markets and supports our strategy to accelerate wood conversion,” said Zambanini, adding that “our accelerated expansion in Arkansas and upgraded distribution network strengthen our competitive position, support long-term growth, and advance our goal of achieving $2 billion in annual sales by 2030.”

During the 52-minute conference call, which largely focused on the Little Rock expansion, Zambanini said the Port of Little Rock factory will reach 50% production capacity by the end of 2026.

The Virginia-based publicly traded company, which bills itself as the “largest eco-friendly composite decking and railing manufacturer,” originally stated in 2024 that the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Little Rock would represent an estimated $400 million investment.

In response to questions from Arkansas Delta Informer, Trex spokesman James Reddish said the composite wood giant now “anticipates the overall project investment in Little Rock to exceed $400 million, with the vast majority of that having already been invested,”

“We anticipate that we will be over 100 full-time employees at the Little Rock site as we begin ramping up production and capacity,” he said.

Situated on nearly 300 acres at the sprawling Port of Little Rock, the new site is Trex’s third U.S.-based manufacturing location, joining Fernley, Nev., and Winchester, where the company is headquartered. When complete, the 300-acre Little Rock campus will include several buildings dedicated to decking and railing production, plastic film recycling and processing, reclaimed wood storage, warehousing, and administrative offices.

Reddish said the construction and installation phases of the project are complete, and Trex is working on final commissioning and startup of the decking operation. The poly reprocessing building and associated lines have been in operation since the first quarter of 2025, he said.

Led by Lexington, Ky.-based construction giant Gray Construction, the first phase of the Port of Little Rock project focused on constructing a 788,000-square-foot resin manufacturing facility and required 4,153 tons of steel, as well as a superstructure installed above the steel decking to house process equipment.

Following the construction of the resin manufacturing plant, Trex began work on phase II of the campus plan – a 1.5 million-square-foot expansion to add composite decking manufacturing. As noted, the completed project will substantially increase Trex’s manufacturing capacity and transform the site into the company’s largest manufacturing operation.

Originally expected to be fully operational by the end of 2025, the facility will create more than 1,160 jobs in the region, direct and indirect, through the end of construction. Once fully operational, Trex expects to add more than 500 new hourly and salaried positions to the regional economy, company officials said.

Zambanini takes on new duties during Trex 2Q earnings call

Separately, Trex’s second-quarter earnings fell short of Wall Street expectations. For the period ended June 30, the Virginia-based composite wood manufacturer reported net income of $62 million, or 62 cents per diluted share, down 20.2% from $76 million, or 71 cents, in the second quarter of 2025.

Adjusted net income, which includes one-time gains and other costs, totaled $63 million, or 62 cents per share. That compares with $79 million, or 73 cents, a year ago. Analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research expected the wood composite manufacturer to report second-quarter earnings of 64 cents per share.

Trex’s net sales rose 8% to 418 million, up from $388 million a year ago. Company officials said the improved sales reflected broad-based strength across product categories, price points, and distribution channels. Growth was driven primarily by volume, with pricing contributing minimally to the increase.

This is the first time Zambanini has addressed Wall Street analysts on the second-quarter conference call. Earlier this year, Trex’s board appointed Zambanini, then the company’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, as president and CEO and as a member of the board, effective April 28.

Zambanini succeeded longtime company CEO Bryan Fairbanks, who stepped down after nearly 23 years at the composite decking manufacturer. Fairbanks is now serving as an outside consultant following the transition.

In May, Trex also named Zachary Lauer senior vice president and chief operations officer. In his new role, Lauer will lead the company’s manufacturing, supply chain, engineering, and R&D, driving operational excellence and enabling Trex’s continued growth.

In Tuesday’s session on Wall Street, Trex’s earnings rose 7.3% to $48.21 after the company accelerated its sales target to $2 billion by 2030. Trex said it expects next quarter’s revenue to be about $312.5 million, well above analysts’ estimates.

[Story Courtesy of Arkansas Delta Informer]