NewWood has signed a 20-year-lease with Satsop Development Park with two optional 10-year extensions for the 275,000-square-foot-manufacturing complex on 15 acres.
Financing for NewWood was arranged through a combination of a loan provided by Enterprise Cascadia and the sale of federal tax credits to U.S.
Bancorp. Enterprise Cascadia is a certified non-profit Community Development Financial Institution serving urban and rural communities of Oregon and Washington.
While the plant will take about four months to be fully “recommissioned,” the hiring process will begin immediately. NewWood plans to hire 150 people from the area, said John Bowser, president and CEO of NewWood Corporation and NewWood Manufacturing Inc.
NewWood has scheduled an Open House for 11 a.m. Nov. 15 at the NewWood Plant at Satsop Development Park in Elma. In the meantime, job seekers can submit their resumes online at www.NewWood.com.
“We are looking for hardworking people in the areas of manufacturing, technology, research and development, quality assurance, maintenance, machine operation, as well as a few administrative staff,” Bowser said.
NewWood Vice President of Sales and Marketing Larry Potvin emphasized the company’s commitment to the Elma area, saying, “We are invested in this community and feel strongly about hiring locally and buying products from local businesses. We are committed to doing our part to help stimulate the local economy and are hoping to have a positive impact on the regional and state economy by partnering with Washington businesses.”
The manufacturing complex tucked away on Fuller Hill didn’t attract the attention of many people, but when Bowser came in August of 2007 to buy a part for another business, “It was love at first sight! It felt very comfortable to me. I understood the process and saw immediate market opportunities,” he said.
Bowser, the former CEO of Trespa, North America, a global manufacturer of high-pressure laminate products, is an entrepreneur. He has had success in commercial cabinets, mill work and composite panels as well as exterior wall cladding products for commercial applications.
“We are so pleased with the re-opening of this innovative manufacturing plant,” said Tami Garrow, CEO of the Grays Harbor Public Development Authority, which owns and manages the Park. “NewWood brings new hope and prosperity to our community and we are thrilled they are coming to Satsop.”
“NewWood is the latest in a series of great “recycling” projects here at Satsop – starting with the Park’s reincarnation from unfinished nuclear plant to professional business park,” said Garrow. “Next came BMT-Northwest’s renovation of our former turbine building into a world-class steel fabrication facility, followed by the repurposing of the Park’s unused, oversized water pipes into a unique tunnel safety training facility that will increase workplace safety around the country.
“Satsop Development Park is a truly great place for re-inventing business because our legacy is all about recycling and renewal. What better place for a company that is breaking new ground in the 21
“We welcome the new jobs and new green building products that NewWood brings to our region. This company is a great fit for our Park, surrounded as we are by sustainable managed forestlands that we hope will someday attract more next-generation wood products companies,” Poler said.
A match made in heaven – between an idle factory and an eager entrepreneur who saw its promise – will bring 150 jobs and a state-of-the-art “green” company to Satsop Development Park in Southwest Washington. st century wood and building products than here at the Park where entrepreneurship is embraced and encouraged,” said the Steve Poler, Satsop’s board chairman.