BUSINESS MATTERS

Pike County leaders welcome news reopened sawmill will hire 136

Helpless.

It's not among the specific words Glenwood Mayor Ron Martin uses to describe how it felt watching nearly 500 jobs disappear from his town in just a few months in 2010. But it's in the subtext as Martin, now in his 13th year as mayor of the 2,500-person town, recalls the impact.

About 300 were laid off when a clothing manufacturer moved its operation because labor was cheaper in Mexico. Another 200 were left jobless when a sawmill -- an employer of generations of Glenwood residents -- shut down.

"It was pretty dire for a while," Martin told me last week.

Martin, 82, was in Little Rock to announce Caddo River Forest Products would be reopening a lumber mill in his town. News that the company would bring 136 jobs -- with the hope of generating 300 indirect jobs -- to Pike County was reason for optimism.

Even amidst the celebration Martin couldn't help but think of friends and family who endured difficulties because they lost jobs at the Curt Bean Lumber Mill.

Best-case scenarios saw breadwinners driving as far as Mansfield (88 miles, one way) or Ola (72 miles) for work. Some families packed up and moved away. Then, of course, there were the worst-case scenarios where folks were jobless.

Pike County Judge Dewight Mack, who served five years on the Quorum Court before winning his seat 18 months ago, witnessed similar struggles.

A brother-in-law was left without work.

School district enrollments dropped as families looked elsewhere for jobs.

Mack's wife is a teacher in the Kirby School District, which saw enrollment decline from 435 in 2009-10 to 329 in 2015-16. The nearby Centerpoint School District, located in Amity, saw its total number of students drop from 1,045 to 961 in the same six-year span.

"We need these jobs," Mack said. "We need them for families. We need them for the schools."

Murfreesboro Mayor Rodney Fagan also was in Little Rock for the announcement. He views the reopening of the mill as a positive for his town of 1,600.

"We're 25 miles away, but what's good for Glenwood and Pike County is good for us," Fagan said. "This will help the loggers. It will help the landowners. Competition will lead to better prices."

Caddo River Forest Products is scheduled to begin production in spring 2017. A skeleton crew is at the plant currently, helping get it cleaned up for future operation.

Investors from Texas who own land in the area began looking at the possibility of opening the mill nearly three years ago. Both Arkansas Economic Development Commission Executive Director Mike Preston and David Anderson of the Caddo River Partnership described the patience necessary in getting the deal finalized.

There were environmental hurdles. Plus, a wait to get the right mix of incentives from the state and federal government.

The commission will contribute about $1.5 million in incentives. Caddo River Forest Products received $817,726 from the U.S. Economic Development Authority for infrastructure improvements.

Preston compared the creation of 136 jobs in a place like Greenwood to "announcing 1,000 jobs in Jonesboro or Bentonville."

Mack said he wasn't completely comfortable saying that the deal was done until it was announced Wednesday. But he began growing increasingly optimistic with each month that passed this year.

Like others in Glenwood and Pike County, Mack is excited about what the news could mean for the area.

Families moving back into the county. Enrollment growing in schools.

"We may even get a red light in Pike County," Mack said.

If you have a tip, call Chris Bahn at (501) 378-3518 or email him at [email protected]

SundayMonday Business on 06/26/2016

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