| When One Door
Closes Others Open — Ramona du Houx
Baileyville has been all
over the news lately. It is a small town in Washington County that is in transition
because one of its major employers, Domtar, announced they had to let 150 workers go. The
inevitable happened. The mill had been producing a paper stock that currently
over-saturates the market. Their paper machine was a relic of the past and has been shut
down. The future of Domtar is in their pulp-manufacturing base, where they are keeping
over 300 workers employed.
"We need to work
collaboratively and use every available resource to help the displaced workers and the
community recover. In Maine, we have a history of working together to solve big problems.
That’s what needs to happen here," said Governor Baldacci.
The governor and
Maine’s Congressional Delegation have formed a task force that will coordinate state
and federal efforts to assist Domtar’s former employees and to protect the long-term
health of the mill’s pulp production in Baileyville. Additionally, the task force
will work with the private sector and regional economic development organizations.
"This joint task
force affords an opportunity for Maine to mount a vigorous, united response that focuses
all of our resources and energy on behalf of the workers and their communities," said
Rep.Allen.
After a visit to
Baileyville, Rep. Mike Michaud commented, "These workers are dedicated, talented, and
hard-working Mainers who have given their all. In the days and weeks ahead, my office will
work to provide whatever assistance is necessary to help these workers to get back to
work."
The Maine Department of
Labor (MDOL) has been working to help displaced workers with job placement and retraining.
Together with Maine’s Congressional Delegation, MDOL has been working to receive
Trade Adjustment Assistance.
"Maine has been
aggressive in taking steps that have kept Domtar’s pulp operation competitive. Our
forest certification program helps the company to better market its products
worldwide," said Gov. Baldacci. "The certification program gives the green seal
of approval to Domtar. It guarantees that the wood being used to produce pulp is harvested
in an environmentally responsible and sustainable way."
That’s one plus for
Domtar’s pulp business; another lies in revolutionary technology that has the ability
to turn wood waste, pulp, and other materials into energy efficient ethanol that could
replace gasoline. This technology, developed at the University of Maine, could turn the
mill into a major ethanol producer. The process is being applied in Old Town’s Red
Shield Environmental Park.
"The work being
done at the university is the kind of innovation that will drive this state’s economy
into the future. It will help modernize our old industries, help to fight global warming,
and make our state and country more energy secure," said the governor.
"When we started
this process in Old Town with the university, we had Baileyville in mind. As a pulp
operation, Baileyville has the capacity of twice as much as the Old Town mill. They could
be a real commercial ethanol facility," said Jack Cashman, the governor’s
economic advisor.
(Photo: Jack Cashman and Gov. Baldacci during the
transition sale of the GPMill to Red Shield Environmental)
With the aid and
guidance of Cashman and his team, instead of being an economic disaster, the closing of
the Old Town GP Mill resulted in good jobs and benefits for Old Town, as Red Shield
Environmental set up shop. Helping traditional industries to compete in the global economy
is an ongoing effort of the Baldacci administration. They have a good track record. The
Lincoln mill now employs 400 people with a $21 million payroll; two mills in Millinocket
have been brought back from the abyss and currently employee 700 people.
Meanwhile, Washington
County has begun to see results from being designated as a Pine Tree Zone. The
governor’s PTZ program, which gives companies tax incentives, was set up to target
areas in the state that had low employment rates and incomes. Last June, Insulated
Component Structures Inc. of Florida announced they would be breaking ground in August
with a 57,000-square-foot facility up and running by the end of the year, employing over
60 people.
"We chose to locate
our new plant in Maine in order to more efficiently and cost-effectively service our
prospective clients in New England and Canada," said Damar Dore, president of ICS,
Maine.
ICS manufactures
composite panels that are strong and energy efficient. The composite industry in Maine has
been identified as a growing sector, assisted by research and development at the
University of Maine (UM).
PTZs are providing a
foundation for growth, enabling the state to help companies expand and transition into the
high-tech global economy. UM is providing a world-class research and development facility
that has made technological breakthroughs, giving companies here at home a global edge.
Community colleges are offering opportunities to obtain higher education degrees to a
wider sector of society than traditional four-year university’s offer, enabling
graduates to fill more rapidly developing high-tech jobs.
Patterns are emerging.
When Dover-Foxcroft announced that their manufacturing facility had to close, largely due
to overseas competition, down the road in Cornith, a month later, a new manufacturer
announced they would be opening North America’s largest wood pellet manufacturing
plant. Many displaced workers from Dover-Foxcroft are now working at Cornith Wood Pellets,
and new buyers have been found for the Dover-Foxcroft facility.
In Maine, when one door
closes, others open up, because of economic development programs in place and the work of
teams around the state helping the state transition into the global economy.
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