Cloquet hopes to keep timber legacy alive
Henry's Woods in Rogers, Minn. I Photo by Joe Chumley Garcia
CLOQUET, Minn. (AP) - Community leaders are working to keep an eastern Minnesota city's wood and timber industry legacy alive by luring a new company to take the place of a match factory which will soon close.
The Diamond Match factory in Cloquet announced last month that it will close sometime between July 28 and August 11.
Newell Brands recently sold the Diamond Match brand to Royal Oak Enterprises. The new owners decided to close the Cloquet factory, putting 85 people out of their jobs.
Wood product manufacturing jobs in Minnesota have declined more than 30 percent over the past 10 years. Paper mill jobs have decreased by more than 20 percent.
Cloquet community development director Holly Hansen says some wood product industry companies are touring the factory.