Emmett, Idaho - Today, the Gem County Commissioners, Gem County Chamber of Commerce, and Emerald Forest Products announced the opening of a new sawmill facility providing forty-seven direct new jobs to the community workforce. This is the first new sawmill opening in over 15 years.

The mill is owned in partnership with Dick Vinson from Thompson Falls, Montana, Dennis Drake, Horseshoe Bend, and the Pruyn Family of Missoula, Montana and Houston, Texas.

Emerald Forest Products, also known as a small wood conversion facility, is located at 500 West Main Street in Emmett and has been in development since the spring of 2002. "Gem County didn't give up on us, and we (Emerald Forest Products) are not going to give up on them," said Vinson. Along with the $4 million dollar American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) grant Vinson has spent over $6 million on equipment and labor to finish the mill.

Sharon Church-Pratt, Gem County Commissioner remarked, "This has been a long and arduous process. There are a number of permits and contracts which have been negotiated and re-negotiated over the years. Due to the commitment of the partners in this venture and the various partnerships which have supported Dick's vision through the past years, this project is coming to fruition. We are grateful and excited this company chose Gem County."

The mill will produce 2x4's, 4x4's, and has contracts with Home Depot for dust-free shavings for animal bedding and specializes in cutting large trees. The plant will open operating one shift with the possibility of adding a second shift in the future. Vinson has worked with Potlatch, the

Forest Service and others in securing contracts for logs far into the future and is discussing the possibility of securing chips from the Ada County landfill. Additionally, Vinson plans to add a co-generation power plant once Emerald Forest Products is fully operational.

"Developing projects on the national forests that can reduce wildfire risks while providing marketable products is highly dependent on local sawmills and bio-mass facilities along with the development of markets for other types of wood products," commented Cecilia Seesholtz, Forest Supervisor Boise National Forest.

Emmett is a great location for the mill due to the proximity of the trained workforce, timber supply, logging contractors and partnering groups promoting the use of our natural resources while managing the forests in a responsible manner. Emerald Forest Products is a company which has looked at the market and determined where there are available natural resources. As a result, they are poised for the future.

This monumental occasion has long been in the making with collaboration from the Gem County Commissioners, Gem County Chamber of Commerce, City of Emmett, Department of Commerce, and several economic development partnerships: Economic Development Grows Economies (EDGE), Woody Biomass Utilization Partnership (WBUP) and Shadow Butte Development Corporation (SDBC).