PORT ANGELES — Gov. Chris Gregoire will attend Peninsula Plywood’s ribbon-cutting ceremony that is expected to attract more than 250 people on Saturday, said company President Josh Renshaw.
Renshaw said he expects Gregoire to cut the ribbon at the ceremony that will begin at 11 a.m. at the mill on Marine Drive. The ceremony is expected to last an hour, he said.
The mill, with its 124 employees, has been operating since March 1. The first delivery of its finished production will be made Tuesday, Renshaw said.
Open to public
Other people invited to the ceremony, which will be open to the public, include Port of Port Angeles commissioners, city of Port Angeles staff and council members, and the North Olympic Peninsula’s representatives in the state Legislature — Reps. Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, and Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim, and Sen. Jim Hargrove, D-Hoquiam, all of the 24th District.
Renshaw has attributed the company’s success in getting loans from the state Department of Commerce, which helped secure needed financing, to Van De Wege, and added Saturday that the Governor’s Office also played a role.
“The presence of the Governor’s Office was felt by the Department of Commerce,” he said.
Renshaw said Gregoire will be given a tour of the mill if she makes the request.
Van De Wege said he may not be able to make the ceremony if the state Legislature’s special session, that begins Monday, does not wrap up by Friday.
Hargrove will try
Hargrove said he will try to make it, but may be unable to for the same reason.
Renshaw said the plywood market is doing “pretty well” right now.
He said demand for plywood produced in the United States has increased since the devastating earthquake in Chile last month.
Chile is a major plywood exporter, he said.
Renshaw said the “terrible tragedy” has pushed the sanded plywood market to a five-year high.
“That will translate into orders for us,” he said.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.