by Web Editor | Apr 24, 2017 | News
North Idaho College has been awarded a $482,582 grant by the Idaho Department of Labor to train more than 200 workers in the wood products manufacturing industry.
The two-year grant is a partnership with Lewis-Clark State College and five wood products manufacturing companies in North Idaho. The positions will pay wages ranging from $15 to $25 per hour plus employer-assisted medical benefits.
“This grant will go a long way in training the next generation of wood products manufacturing workers,” said NIC President Rick MacLennan. “These are solid, high-paying jobs and an outstanding opportunity for more than 200 people in North Idaho. We’re grateful for the Idaho Department of Labor’s foresight and the hard work put in by many people to make this grant a reality.”
The funds will be used to address skill gaps for high-wage, high-demand occupations in the forest products industry and increase the employment and wages of Idaho workers in mostly rural areas. The project also supports the Apprenticeship Idaho program, which expands innovative apprenticeships into high-growth occupations and industries. Idaho Forest Group, Potlatch Land and Lumber LLC, Stimson Lumber Co., Empire Lumber Co. and Plummer Forest Products (a total of 11 mills) are the five business partners in the grant. A match is required from industry partners, who gave a total of $141,834.61 in cash and in-kind donations.
The North Idaho College Wood Products Center of Excellence will provide training along with structured on-site training at the mills.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/grant-helps-college-train-200-woodworkers-addresses-skill-gap?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news,canadian_news
by Web Editor | Jul 13, 2016 | News
Projects in Springfield and Portland have landed a collected $200,000 as leaders test the viability of cross-laminated timber.
The funding, awarded by the Business Oregon-backed cleantech champions Oregon BEST and the National Center for Advanced Wood Products Manufacturing and Design, will back research that fast-tracks CLT as a green construction material usable throughout the U.S.
Of that money, $155,000 will go to the planned four-story Glenwood Parking Structure in Springfield. The project’s developers will use the money for research, performance testing and code documentation. The team will measure such factors as vibration, moisture, post-tension loss in rocking shear walls and seismic instrumentation. The SRG firm designed the 360-space structure.
The National Center for Advanced Wood Products Manufacturing and Design, a collaboration between Oregon State University and the University of Oregon, will perform the research and testing functions. The Carbon 12 mixed-use condominium complex in Northeast Portland was awarded $45,000 for acoustic and moisture testing.
According to Oregon BEST, U.S. architects and builders wanting to use the new material in construction projects “must negotiate a maze of additional documentation, atypical performance modeling requirements, unfamiliar construction methods and building code hurdles that can delay CLT projects and has slowed adoption of the material.”
From the Portland Business Journal: https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/sbo/2016/07/new-springfield-portland-buildings-get-200k-to.html
by Web Editor | Feb 24, 2015 | News
From: Panel World Staff
Martco L.L.C. announced the selection of Corrigan, Texas as the location for a new, state-of-the-art oriented strandboard (OSB) facility. The facility is expected to employ 165. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer, with startup anticipated by fall 2017. Corrigan OSB, L.L.C. will complement Martco L.L.C.’s existing wood products manufacturing plants in Oakdale, La. (OSB); Chopin, La. (plywood); and Mexia, Ala. (lumber and timbers).
According to Martin Companies, L.L.C. Chairman and CEO Jonathan Martin, “Ever since my grandfather started out in the wood product industry more than 90 years ago, our family has taken pride in utilizing raw materials to the fullest extent possible. This business model has led to Martco’s growth as a leading supplier in the wood products industry. The timing is right for us to position ourselves to more effectively meet the increasing demand for building products into the foreseeable future.”
“We believe that East Texans have a tremendous amount of community passion, experience and knowledge, and we look forward to becoming a proactive community partner,” adds Roy O. Martin III, president. “Martco will extend its philosophy of being ‘employer of choice’ and ‘vendor of choice’ to this region, while maintaining the stability of a well-established, family-owned, professionally managed company committed to its stakeholders.”
Martco’s commitment to this region reaches beyond its future workforce. Senior Vice President and COO Scott Poole explains, “We look forward to extending our pride and dedication to sustainable forestry practices through additional foresters and loggers. With this expansion, we will continue to be good stewards of our forests, while delivering a full line of wood products across the country and world.”
Based in Alexandria, La., Martco L.L.C.’s existing manufacturing facilities employ 1,100. All of Martco L.L.C.’s wood products are available Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.
