John Mohan had a reason to smile this week as he was hired back at Errington Cedar Products.
“I never expected to be back here,” said Mohan.
“I was like holy smokes we’re going to go back to work hopefully.”
He’d been out of work since November when the Errington sawmill he’d worked at for 31 years went bankrupt and laid off its 50 employees.
Then the family of Al Orcutt, who built Errington Cedar Products, bought the mill at the bankruptcy auction and has started to hire back the employees.
“We’re making the place go again,” said late founder Al Orcutt’s daughter and sawmill co-owner Liana Orcutt.
“That’s what we’re doing.”
“We just bought it all back at auction,” said Al Orcutt’s son and co-owner Steven Orcutt.
“Eleventh hour, last minute. The auction was starting.”
Orcutt’s son and daughter have pledged to keep the Errington mill going for their dad and the family he built in his workers.
“Because we were apart for a long time,’ said Liana.
“I think he’s probably watching over it and he’s probably happy that his team is one again.”
With partners and their team of longtime employees, Al Orcutt’s children plan to make him proud,and the mill a success again.
“Teamwork all the way,” said Chris Castle who worked at the sawmill for 25 year until November’s bankruptcy.
“It is bucking a bit of a trend,” said co-owner Gus Sangha.
“But it is also an opportunity when nobody else wants to do it.”
Skye Ryan
