MISSOULA — As UFP Industries’ Bonner wood products facility winds down operations, the efforts to help its impacted workers pick up.
The Montana Department of Labor & Industry hosted a “rapid response event” for the roughly 100 employees laid off in the closure of the Edge Prefinished facility on Wednesday.
Since the closure was announced at the end of July, Jonathan Petty has been looking for what to do next. He stopped by Wednesday’s event in search of opportunities, speaking with representatives from all sorts of industries hiring in Missoula.
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“I’m here looking for a job,” he said. “It’s exploratory.”
Petty, who started at Edge in February, liked his work and his coworkers and wanted to continue there. Then came the announcement and suddenly, Petty and about 100 others were in need of a new job.
“When UFP shut down, it really kind of just shocked everybody,” he said. “I think some of us expected and were ready for the hit, and then some of us were not ready for the hit. You know, it’s clearing your mind after it happens.”
Wednesday’s event came about a week after the announcement.
The Montana Department of Labor & Industry brought resources to connect in person with impacted workers at Missoula’s Hilton Garden Inn. They had department staff, along with employers such as the Montana Department of Transportation, Weyerhaeuser, Montana Knife Company, Community Medical Center and many more.
“We've got our experts on-site from unemployment and from the job service center,” said Montana Department of Labor & Industry Commissioner Sarah Swanson. “We’ve got over a dozen employers in Montana that have vacancies starting right now, so that we could replace these workers right here in Missoula with high-scale, high-wage jobs.”
The Edge plant is the latest of several wood products facilities to close in Western Montana in recent years. Missoula’s Roseburg Forest Products and Seeley Lake’s Pyramid Mountain Lumber both closed in 2024.
Watch related coverage: Missoula official reacts to announced Bonner manufacturing plant announcement
“Our team responded when the Pyramid plant up in Seeley closed. We responded last year to the Roseburg plant,” Swanson said. “So, this being our third opportunity to really support the workers, we know that the best thing we can do to be supportive to workers and their families is get in front of them quickly, which is why we're here six days after the notice was issued.”
Swanson told MTN News that the department’s response is more than a one-day commitment. They have funds available from the U.S. Department of Labor to help impacted UFP employees retrain for short or long-term career options. They are also hosting a series of job hunting webinars ahead of a public job fair in Missoula at the end of September.
“We still have until September 27th to work with these workers and their families, help them finish their resumes, do some skill matching, and find a great opportunity right here in Missoula to continue their career,” she said. “Any workers, whether they're impacted by UFP Edge or other industries here in Missoula, we'll be back with a full job fair the week before the layoff begins, to ensure that everybody has opportunities to find employment right here.”
Petty has been applying to jobs, especially online, since the announcement. But he appreciated the in-person networking opportunities at Wednesday’s event.
“Honestly, I think something like this is a lot more beneficial, because face-to-face talk, you can have your questions directly answered by them. I think it's a good setup,” he said. “I think there are definitely some promising leads.”
