“It’s in time for Thanksgiving, and that’s a good deal.” Kyle Freres imparted sentiments around Lyons based Freres Lumber Company as it announced that Plant 4 is back up and running, roughly four months since a fire destroyed the building amid the hot days of last summer.
“Getting this plant up and going in 3 to 4 months is somewhat of a miracle, especially since we are dedicating a lot of resources to getting our other (mass-plywood panel) plant going,” he said.
Freres, the company’s vice president of operations, said getting back to full operation wasn’t without obstacles. The company started Plant 4 operations more than a month ago, but a major electrical failure scuttled the process, leaving them limping through the past month until they could get all aspects into full working order.
“Looking at pictures of the fires blazing in the building, and the charred inventory, and realizing how recent the fire was illustrates the extraordinary accomplishment of everyone who worked on the project. We want to say ‘thank you’ to those who made this rebuild possible.”
After the fire, Freres offered employees of that plant positions in other locations, such as the company’s plywood mill. Many took the company up on the new, temporary jobs. Some did not but have returned now that the rebuilt facility is up and running. At full capacity, the plant can employ up to 40 workers, and Freres said it’s at about 23 right now, and they are looking to hire more.
From the Statesman Journal: https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/local/stayton/2017/11/27/freres-reopens-plant-destroyed-summer-fire/887774001/