Woodgrain filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice with the Oregon Rapid Response Coordinator on Tuesday, July 1, informing him that the company “will permanently close its Pilot Rock sawmill.”

The closure is scheduled for September 1, 2025, affecting 62 employees, including two benchmen, four certified graders, and four chain pullers.

Woodgrain produces mouldings/millwork, doors and Windsor brand doors and windows. The company has been family-owned and operated for more than 65 years.

According Berit Thorson, of East Oregonian, the decision to close the mill was made based on “market factors.” The wood products industry faces ongoing challenges, Greg Easton, vice president of Woodgrain’s millwork and lumber division, told Thorson, including rising costs and other sustained market pressures.

The news is the first of its kind for the company, which has had a run this year, including the promotion of a new regional vice president and new CEO last month, and the acquisition of Kelleher Corp in March. In December of last year, the company acquired a doorskins plant in Towanda, Pennsylvania, a deal that resulted from a court-ordered divestiture.

The closure of Pilot Rock is far from the first among important players in the greater door and window manufacturing market. Five other companies have announced facility closures since the beginning of the year, including Quanex, Miter Brands, Oldcastle Building Envelope, and just last month, both PPG and Owens Corning.

Source: oregonlive.com