EVERETT — Kimberly-Clark Corp. has entered into serious negotiations with Atlas Holdings LLC to sell its pulp and paper mills, officials said Tuesday.
Earlier this summer, the company had warned its 750 workers that unless a buyer is found, it would shut the plants down early next year.
While saying the announcement doesn’t mean there’s a deal, Kimberly-Clark spokesman Bob Brand said Atlas is a viable buyer “interested in continued operations of the Everett mill.”
He described Atlas as “a strong buyer candidate with extensive acquisition and pulp and paper industry experience. We are pleased by their continued interest in the Everett site and their capability and experience in operations management.”
Brand called the exclusive talks with Atlas a positive step forward but said it doesn’t mean there’s an agreement.
“As such, we will also continue to work with local union representatives and our employees to prepare for site closure,” he said.
Atlas Holdings has operations in the North American and in Europe in pulp and paper, packaging, building materials, equipment, energy, steel and industrial services.
Kimberly-Clark is also a worldwide manufacturer, and it announced some time ago it wanted to move out of the pulp business, which is why the mills are for sale.
The news was unsettling to employees and to members of the community.
Generations of Snohomish County residents have worked at the mills, which are the last vestige of Everett’s heritage.
The city’s waterfront used to be covered with factories that made lumber, paper and other products, earning it the nickname “The City of Smokestacks.”
“It’s part of the community’s heart and soul,” Everett historian David Dilgard said of the K-C stacks, which issue steam these days, not smoke. “It comes from the days when people were proud to have a job that made your hands dirty … where you could make a living.”
The mill now owned by Kimberly-Clark was built on Everett’s waterfront in 1931 as Puget Sound Pulp and Timber Co., the mill helped build the city’s reputation as a prime pulp producing center. It became Soundview Pulp Co. in 1935 and was purchased by Scott Paper in 1951. Scott merged with Kimberly-Clark in 1985.
Since the merger, the company has invested about $300 million in the Everett operation, installing major wastewater treatment systems, adding a new effluent outfall and switching its pulp-making system from one based on chlorine to chlorine dioxide, which is considered more environmentally friendly.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
