Besse Forest Products Group to Close Three Wisconsin Facilities

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Besse Forest Products Group announced closure of three subsidiary facilities in Wisconsin last week, leading to around 150 layoffs. The closures are expected to be permanent.

The company announced closure of Goodman Veneer & Lumber in Goodman, eliminating 48 jobs. A total of 42 jobs have been impacted due to closure of Wisconsin Veneer and Plywood in Mattoon. The decision to cease operations at Birchwood Manufacturing in Rice Lake is feared to affect 46 jobs. The letter from Timothy Turek, Chief Restructuring Officer stated that all the above closures are with immediate effect.

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The company apologized for not being able to give adequate notice. The decision follows the realization by the company authorities that the revenues of the company will no longer be able to support its operations, due to unprecedented industry downturn. The decision was arrived at after exploring restructuring alternatives, one of the notices said.

In his reaction to the development, The Goodman Town Chairman Bill Stankevich said that the closure is unlikely to have a huge impact like it would have had decades ago. He expressed mixed feelings, expressing the hope that the facility will be acquired by a company interested in reopening it.

It must be noted that Besse Forest Products Group was acquired by The Hoffman Family of Companies in March this year.