Building History

Weyerhaeuser sold this Cosmopolis high-purity cellulose mill to the Gores Group, an investment firm headquartered in Beverly Hills, CA. Its web site indicated that Gores "...is a control oriented private equity firm specializing in acquiring and partnering with businesses that can benefit from our operational expertise and flexible capital base." (See "Gores Overview," accessed 03/18/2016.) Gores bought the factory on 09/16/2010, and began operations here on 05/01/2011. The plant thereafter became the home of Cosmo Specialty Fibers, Incorporated. According to the Gores Group, "Over 200 jobs [were] created, many of them filled by former Weyerhaeuser staff and over 95% employed from Washington State." (See "Cosmo Specialty Fibers," accessed 03/18/2016.) In 2012, the majority of the pulp created by the plant was transported to China from either the ports of Grays Habor or Tacoma. (See Steven Friederich, Aberdeen Daily-World.com, "A look at Cosmo Specialty Fibers, one year later," accessed 03/18/2016.) The plant processed primarily hemlock chips bought from local mills, and turned the slurry into lower-grade pulp used in the manufacture of rayon.

Building Notes

Tel: 360.500.4600 (2016)

Alteration

Weyerhaeuser transformed the mill into a dissolving-grade pulp mill in 1962; this was the only pulp mill of its kind owned by the company. It operated until 2006, when Weyerhaeuser determined that upgrading machinery to continue pulp production was not profitable. The firm no longer wanted to produce pulp and found a buyer for the facility four years after closing it.

PCAD id: 20049