PORT ANGELES, Wash. - In Port Angeles, a good barometer of the economy are the columns of steam rising above the Olympics. Two years ago, some of that steam was lost when investors walked away from peninsula plywood, putting dozens of people out of work.
Bob Hornack was one of them.
"It was a tough time for jobs anywhere," he said.
But in a town where so many have been brought up in the timber and lumber industry, another group of local investors stepped up.
"It's our town and we wanted to create jobs here and it was a good opportunity to get a mill going here with 120-170 jobs again," said Grant Munro.
Standing on plywood they just made, people came together Saturday to celebrate the re-opening of "Pen-Ply."
"This is an exciting day for Port Angeles and the whole community," said Tim Lewis, the company's general manager. "It means a lot to the people; we have family wage jobs with benefits."
Hornack is back to work as a plant electrician.
"I love it here, I love the job -- it's good for me, it's good for my family," he said.
Terera Hulse is a newcomer in accounting.
"With so many people getting jobs here, it's going to perk the town up and bring it back to life," she said.
Peninsula Plywood first opened in 1941. In March of 2010, it got a second chance.
"You know, it's a big day -- a big day for the company," said Hornack.
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