Little River County to lose 110 paper mill jobs

Domtar Industries, which runs a paper mill in southwest Arkansas, said Tuesday it will permanently shut down one of the four paper machines at its Ashdown mill, which will mean a loss of jobs. It’s also causing other concerns for folks in Little River County and the surrounding area.

“As a business person, I’m just as scared as those people who will be laid off at the mill,” said business owner Becky Cowling. She’s the owner of a flower and gift shop in Ashdown. Tuesday’s announcement by Domtar Paper Mill that they will lay off 110 employees is scary news.

“When they are not working it affects us. We are not working our (and) our business drops down,” Cowling said.

Fellow business owner Deanna Rodriquez operates a salon on the town square. She’s also concerned about the layoffs.

“I hate to hear it. You know, it is sad. It is going to put a hurt on some of the people around here. It could possibly slow things down with some of the businesses too.”

With nearly 1,100 workers, Domtar is the largest employer in Little River County. Early Tuesday afternoon, city, county and chamber officials met to see what could be done to make the layoffs as painless as possible.

“It affects 110 of our neighbors and our immediate concern is how we can help them and their family get through this transition,” said Ashdown Mayor Carroll McLarty.

Little River County officials say they will do what it takes to protect the remaining people at the mill.

“We feel confident that Domtar Industries will continue to be strong and be innovated in creating more jobs in the future,” said Little River Chamber Director Jill Turner.

In a news release, Domtar said the layoffs should be completed by July.

From: Ksla