Neiman Closing Mill In Western Colorado

Based in Wyoming with sawmill operations in four states, Neiman Enterprises is down to three mills after its Montrose, Colo. sawmill Montrose Forest Products filed a WARN Notice with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment in early September. The filing announced 90 employees would be affected by the closure of the plant which is scheduled to be completed by November 2026. Neiman Enterprises President Jim Neiman said the company has been working to find a buyer for the mill.

According to local news reports, the closure will affect a total of 400 workers, such as loggers and other contractors and suppliers that rely on the mill, and the impact means $75 million in payroll removed from the western Colorado economy. The Montrose sawmill is the largest in the state, with capacity of up to 80MMBF, although it was down to less than 40MMBF with procuring logs from national forests within viable shipping distance. Reaching out longer distances for logs wasn’t viable thanks to recent diesel price hikes. Increased diesel costs made reaching out longer distances for logs.

With the closure, Neiman now operates sawmills at Hulett, Wyo., Spearfish, SD and Gilchrist, Ore. Neiman had purchased the mill on 2012 and invested $60 million, including a cogeneration plant, in the facility.