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345 SE 5th, Madras, OR 97741 | 541.475.2275
Wayne Pearson, left, county economic development coordinator, Tim Stovall, Mid-Columbia Lumber president, and Adam Brown, of Mid-Columbia, survey the area behind the former Seaswirl Boats plant where the railroad spur will be constructed.
The economic future of Culver got a major boost last week, when Mid-Columbia Lumber Products announced its expansion into the former Seaswirl Boats plant in Culver.
"We intend to be an important part of the community in Culver," said Tim Stovall, president, general manager, and part-owner of Mid-Columbia since 2007.
In May, the Madras-based company purchased 28.85 acres and over 200,000 square feet of the former Seaswirl facilities for $900,000, with the intention of expanding the company.
The company employs 25 people at its current facility on Northwest Adler Street in the Madras Industrial Site, where it produces finger-jointed, long dimension lumber.
Because the structural lumber is sent out by rail, the move was contingent on receiving approval for a large grant for construction of a railroad spur to serve the facility.
On July 21, the Oregon Transportation Commission awarded a $204,084 grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation's Rail Division to assist in building the spur.
"We got support from (ODOT) regional manager Bob Bryant, and Gary Farnsworth, and they really went to bat for us," said Wayne Pearson, economic development coordinator for Jefferson County, who has been working to keep Mid-Columbia in the county.
Employees of Mid-Columbia Lumber clean and set up equipment inside the spacious former Seaswirl Boats building in Culver on Monday.
Although there is already a railroad spur at the Culver location, it had not been used for many years and was inadequate to meet the company's setback requirements for its dimensional lumber, which may be as long as 40 feet.
The company had considered other locations before selecting the Culver site. "For economic reasons, we needed to look at all our options to most efficiently operate and provide value and logistical access to our customers," said Stovall.
"We were fortunate that this facility, so near to our current operations, was available and worked from a transportation perspective," he said.
Typically, the company ships out four to five railcars of lumber per week to the southern portion of the United States, "from Texas to the border of the East Coast, up to the Carolinas," said Stovall.
Highway accessibility was also a key consideration, since Mid-Columbia receives numerous truckloads of lumber daily. It takes about five truckloads to fill one railcar, Stovall pointed out.
"Currently, we're beginning installation of the production line, and support equipment outside the building for the railroad spur," he added. "Our goal is to eventually consolidate all our business in Culver."
Mid-Columbia has already set up wood chip bins, and intends to install a boiler to heat the facility, which is about seven times larger than the Madras facility.
The purchase of the property presented an opportunity to decrease overall costs, Stovall said, since they are currently leasing at the Madras Industrial Site.
At the Culver location, he said, "We're hoping to begin production by the end of the year."
The arrival of Mid-Columbia Lumber is good news to the community of Culver, which has been hurting since the closure of Seaswirl in April 2007, when 170 people lost their jobs.
Mid-Columbia Lumber has already installed an enormous woodchip bin behind the former Seaswirl Boats facility in Culver. Mid-Columbia purchased the property in May, and is expanding its operations into Culver.
"This is very encouraging and exciting," said Culver Mayor Shawna Clanton.
"Seaswirl closed right before the (economy's) downfall," she said. "People lost their jobs and lost their homes."
Finding a new industry for the empty building was a priority for Pearson. "There are not a lot of opportunities for big companies to come in here," he said. "Having this plant occupied is very important."
As the city prepares to begin a major street improvement project, Clanton anticipates increased interest in the community.
"I truly believe business breeds business," she said. "Having a viable business here when we do our streetscape in September -- that, too, will bring in business."
"It's what I've been working for for two years," said Clanton. "This has just been my dream."
