Omak mill closure to leave 175 people without work

Omak Wood Products will close early next year, affecting about 175 workers at the plant.

The Omak-based plant produced veneer products for a related panel company in Shelton, Washington, which has sold and no longer needs the veneer, according to a news release from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. Declining plywood prices and recent wildfires were also factors in decision to close the plant.

The tribe owns the plant, which reopened in 2013 under a 25-year contract with independent operator Omak Wood Products.

“We are working very hard … to develop a new business plan that will sustain the mill operations and continue jobs for our communities,” said Jim Boyd, the tribe’s chairman.