UPDATE: September 18, 2023 4:55 p.m.
Congressman Neal Dunn released the following statement in response to Georgia-Pacific’s Perry Foley Cellulose mill closure announcement.
“Today’s Georgia-Pacific announcement is extremely disappointing. This closure impacts thousands of my constituents following a devastating hurricane, a time when communities need reliability and stability the most,” said Congressman Dunn. “What’s even more concerning is that Georgia-Pacific neglected to give local leaders ample notice so we can support Taylor County through this difficult time. They ought to be ashamed.”
Dunn continued: “I’ve known Koch Industries and Georgia-Pacific to be leaders in business with family values, but NONE of this displays ‘leadership’ or ‘family values’ to me. I will continue to press Koch Industries and Georgia-Pacific to get the answers and support the people of Florida’s Second Congressional District deserve.”
Background: Georgia-Pacific has announced the permanent closure of their Perry Foley Cellulose mill, stating “Various factors influenced this difficult decision.” Approximately 525 jobs will be directly impacted by the decision to close the mill.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Georgia-Pacific Foley Cellulose mill in Perry, Florida will permanently close the facility.
The company siting various factors influenced their decision.
According to a release, the company outlines it does not believe that the mill can competitively serve its customers in the long term despite the significant investments and commitment by GP Cellulose.
The site was in 2013 from Tennessee-based Buckeye Technologies.
All the approximately 525 jobs at the mill will be impacted by this closure. Production will continue for a limited time as the site works to fulfill as many customer commitments as possible. The mill plans a safe and orderly shutdown.
Georgia-Pacific’s focus in the coming weeks and months is to continue to safely operate while supporting employees during the transition.
The mill was recently impacted by layoffs in 2020 due to the pandemic.
More than 150 employees were laid off.
Foley Cellulose Mill has been a big economic driver, creating up to 20% of the jobs in Taylor County.
