Personal Injury Attorney in Allendale, SC.

Even as a long-running sawmill in southern Hampton County is set to close as its corporate leaders cite losses and weak markets, a new sawmill operation has been announced for nearby Allendale County.

On June 26, Canfor Corporation announced its decision to permanently close its Estill and Darlington sawmills in South Carolina, effective August 2025.

"These closures follow an extended period of persistently weak market conditions and sustained financial losses, which have made continued operations at these facilities no longer viable," officials from the Canadian-based company stated in a news release.

“We understand the significant impact this difficult decision will have on our employees,” said Lee Goodloe, President, Canfor Southern Pine, in the release. “This outcome is in no way a reflection of the dedication and hard work of our teams. We are committed to supporting our employees through this transition, including providing severance payments and exploring opportunities for redeployment within our other operations where possible.”

Approximately 290 employees will be affected by the two closures, which will also reduce Canfor’s U.S. lumber production capacity by 350 million board feet annually, said the company.

The announcement appeared to come as a shock to many officials, workers and their families, who decried the news on social media.

In June of 2022, Canfor Southern Pine had announced it was investing $25 million to modernize the Hampton County facility near Estill.

The Estill-area site was formerly known as Elliott's Sawmilling Company, a long-running and well-known local family business. In November of 2018, Canfor announced the purchase of Elliott's Sawmilling for $110 million.

Canfor manufactures dimension and specialty lumber, engineered wood products, pulp and paper, wood pellets, renewable products and renewable energy at more than 50 facilities in Canada, the United States and Europe.

Hampton Lumber selects Allendale County for first East Coast operation

On June 24, two days before the Canfor announcement, Hampton Lumber, a producer of sustainable building materials, announced it had selected Allendale County to establish the company’s first sawmill on the East Coast.

The company’s $225 million investment is expected to create at least 125 new jobs, officials stated in a news release.

“The enthusiastic, heartfelt support from the state and local community helped us come to the conclusion that this is the right location for us," said Hampton Lumber CEO Randy Schillinger "We’re happy to join the healthy wood products industry already present in the region, and we look forward to building partnerships in the area and supporting the communities in and around Allendale County. We are extremely grateful to the state of South Carolina, and the county and community partners who helped make this project possible.”

“I’m pleased to welcome Hampton Lumber to South Carolina’s agribusiness cluster," added S.C. Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers. "This investment will benefit not only our state’s timber farmers but will also offer quality jobs in a largely rural and agricultural part of the state.”

Hampton Lumber will construct a state-of-the-art, 375,000-square-foot lumber mill located at Highway 321 and Barker Mill Pond Road in Fairfax, added the release. The new operation, expected to be online in 2027, will specialize in producing Southern Yellow Pine framing lumber.

“Hampton Lumber’s decision to establish its first East Coast facility in South Carolina reflects confidence in our sustainably managed forests – now holding more timber than ever – and the strength of our world-class workforce," said S.C. State Forester Scott Phillips. "This new investment brings a welcome boost to the industry and to communities that rely on forestry for economic opportunity.”

Headquartered in Oregon, Hampton Lumber is a fourth-generation, family-owned producer of wood products that operates nine sawmills in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, Canada, and markets and sells building materials worldwide.

Individuals interested in joining the Hampton Lumber team can learn more about employment opportunities on the company’s careers page.

The Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits related to the project.

SouthernCarolina Alliance responds to recent announcements

Following the recent announcements, SouthernCarolina Alliance (SCA) officials addressed the big picture of regional economic development.

"Canfor has been an important part of the regional industrial community and a good provider of jobs and tax revenue in Hampton County," said Kay W. Maxwell, SCA Vice President of Marketing. "According to the company, changes in the global market have affected their business model, and they are closing this operation to consolidate elsewhere. The company did not discuss the option of staying in Hampton County with SCA or our elected officials."

Maxwell stated that, in the wake of these lost jobs, there are other good opportunities currently available in the region, and that other companies have been steadily announcing new jobs in the last few years, and advertising available jobs every day.

She added that an expansion at Le Creuset in Early Branch would be completed in the fall, and construction has begun on the much anticipated Agricultural Technology Campus (ATC) (updates to be published soon). With a $314 million investment, the ATC is expected to bring as many as 1,500 jobs to the region.

"In short, while we can’t make the business decisions for our local industries or control the national or global economies, we can continue marketing our area as the best place to live, work and invest," Maxwell added. "We hope these opportunities from new and existing industries will help offset the loss of the Canfor operation."