Lawrence Brothers, Inc.

LBI was incorporated in Virginia in 1975. The manufacturing company specializes in heavy metal fabrication and custom metal applications for various industries, including underground mining, energy and electrical, automotive, material handling, airline and the general metal industrial goods industry.

Initial customers were Exide Battery, now known as EnerSys, and later, Gould Battery. In 1976, LBI acquired a site just outside of Bluefield and constructed a 10,500 square foot building. Through the years, that space has been enlarged to be what it is today.

LBI holds 45 percent of the market share of mine battery trays, which are utilized in battery-powered equipment produced by manufacturers including Komatsu, Caterpillar and General Electric. In the past several years, the company has significantly diversified and now also has a 50 percent market share of all material handling battery boxes in the motive power, ground support and cold warehousing industries.

The company still manufactures new mine battery trays, but LBI’s primary products are steel enclosures for motive power and material handling industries. Areas of diversification for the company include transformer components, battery and energy storage systems, material handling equipment, small industrial parts manufacturing, ground support and airline industry and custom metal fabrication. The company’s products may be found throughout the world.

VCEDA has assisted LBI in its growth initiatives, providing loan funding for equipment purchases which have in turn allowed the company to grow its employee base.

“Lawrence Brothers is honored to continue our partnership with VCEDA,” said Melanie Protti-Lawrence, president of Lawrence Brothers, Inc. “LBI is only able to successfully continue to grow, diversify and help strengthen the local and regional economy through valuable partnerships like ours with VCEDA.”