The old Georgia Pacific sawmill near DeQuincy is going to be resurrected after Interfor will inject $8 million into bringing the wood facility back into production.

The Louisiana Department of Economic Development reports the facility is likely to be up and running in mid-2022. The company plans to employ 170 employees, and there will be some 505 indirect jobs also created as part of the project to breathe new life into the facility.

The Georgia Pacific facility was shuttered in May of 2020 because of the COVID pandemic. Many of the employees that worked at that facility will round out the crew that will make the Interfor facility function. GP will also assist in helping the new owners with collaboration as they put things back online.

According to the Louisiana Department of Revenue, the state of Louisiana will be giving help to the project through the Quality Jobs program, the Industrial Tax Exemption Program, and the LED FastStart program.

Calcasieu Parish will benefit tremendously from a renewed sawmill and the promise of jobs. This area was one of the many in southwest Louisiana that was so hard hit during last year's hurricane season between Hurricanes Laura and Delta. Many people are still trying to restart their lives and business. 170 permanent jobs will have a direct impact on that area as Interfor will likely have to use the services of other businesses in the area.

President and CEO of the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance, George Swift, says,

The restart of the lumber mill at DeQuincy by Interfor is a huge economic win for southwest Louisiana. We welcome Interfor to southwest Louisiana and thank them for reopening the lumber mill in DeQuency.

According to Interfor, they will be hiring other people as the project progresses. You can find out more about jobs by going to interfor.com/careers.

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