Some parts of our state are doing pretty well. Others, not so much. Arkansas has that in common with most states.
Georgia-Pacific Corp. announced it'll be closing a major part of its operations in Crossett this fall. That'll cost about 550 employees in south Arkansas their jobs. Five hundred and fifty. There are towns in south Arkansas that don't even have that many people.
These aren't just families that are going to be stung, but entire communities. It's likely everyone in Ashley County knows someone who will lose his job with Georgia-Pacific. And it's not just Crossett that'll suffer. The company also announced it'd shutter a particle board plant in Hope, with another 100 layoffs there.
One bit of good news came a few weeks ago from Walmart. The company is preparing to invest in a brand new campus for its home office, and the higher-ups have decided to use cross laminated timber for the new buildings. Southern Arkansas will provide most of the material thanks to bountiful southern pine.
Hopefully that'll kick off soon and give people who may have been laid off by Georgia-Pacific a lifeline to grab on to--and keep providing for their families.
Editorial on 06/08/2019