Thriving in Zwolle: Getting to Know Our First THRIVE Community

An aerial view of our Zwolle veneer plant and the surrounding community.

Follow U.S. Route 171 south from Shreveport to Zwolle, Louisiana. Take the main drag past the railroad depot and the tracks that cut through the center of town.

"No way in the world you can miss it," James "Anthony" Ebarb says of the place he's worked for nearly 37 years.

Our engineered wood products mill near the corner of Obrie and South Main has long been the beating heart of Zwolle, population 1,638. Newspaper reports place a sawmill in the area as far back as 1897 - around the time of the town's founding as a whistle stop on the Kansas City Southern Railway. These days, with logs entering its gates 200 yards from the front door of city hall, it's hard to tell if the mill was built around the town or if the town was built around the mill.

"Anybody who has ever been from this area knows about the mill," says Anthony, site operations manager. "It's been here forever."

Another view of the plant, with the buildings in the foreground and the log yard in the distance.

CHOOSING ZWOLLE

As in many rural operating communities, the fortunes and futures of the town and its mill are closely intertwined. Our involvement in the Zwolle (pronounced ZWAH-lee) community dates back to the days of Willamette Industries, which we acquired in 2002. Ever since, the Zwolle plant has produced plywood and veneer for our customers and internal mills.

In September we announced THRIVE, a program that will invest $5 million across five of our rural operating communities that are most in need of additional support. Zwolle and northwest Louisiana were selected as the first beneficiary, which means Weyerhaeuser will invest $1 million in the region over the next several years.

Stephen Peskar, mill manager, says he was "stunned" when he received the good news via conference call.

"It was awesome," Stephen says. "There aren't many companies out there that would invest at this level."

This year's poster for the Zwolle Tamale Fiesta.

SUPPORTING RURAL COMMUNITIES

THRIVE emerged from ongoing internal discussions and research about how Weyerhaeuser can best support the rural communities where we operate, a focus area solidified as one of the three key pillars of our 3 by 30 Sustainability Ambitions.

"Rural communities are so important to our company and to our industry," says Nancy Thompson, senior director of Advocacy and Philanthropy, who oversees the administration of the THRIVE program. "They face unique challenges, which is what really drove our focus on finding impactful ways to help them thrive."

The selection of Zwolle and northwest Louisiana as our first THRIVE community came after a lengthy evaluation process that included careful study of factors such as our presence in the region, employee and leader engagement, opportunities for leveraging external resources (such as federal or state grants) and the potential for partnerships with other employers, nonprofits and community leaders to amplify the program's impact.

"Every one of our operating communities was considered, and they'll each be included in our next THRIVE selection process, too," Nancy says. "It's too early to say when our next THRIVE community will be picked, but we'll apply the same rigor to each selection."

Employees work on decorating a flatbed trailer to create a float for the Zwolle Tamale Fiesta parade.

GROWING POTENTIAL

Members of the THRIVE selection committee weren't the only ones who saw potential in Zwolle. Stephen took on the mill manager role during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and remembers walking the mill floor to get a feel for the place during his interview. Everybody was wearing face masks and shields, but there was no hiding their enthusiasm.

"Everyone was happy," he says. "I left with a good feeling about the people. I said this has potential. It's worth a shot."

Three years on, Stephen's instincts and hard work appear to be paying off. He's helped increase productivity and uptime and driven preventive improvements in safety, resulting in significantly fewer employee injuries over the past three years.

At the same time, Wood Products has invested capital in the plant. Stephen says he's overseen about 100 different improvement projects, everything from new forklifts to building a wet deck for logs to installing lockers in the break room. Last summer, when Zwolle endured temperatures of at least 100 degrees for more than a month straight, Stephen brought in dozens of spot coolers for employees to stay cool at their workstations.

"We're focused on making the world better for the folks here," he says.

In orchestrating the turnaround, Stephen says he's leaned on the local experts: The employees who've worked at the Zwolle mill for decades.

"About half of what we've done is just restore what we used to do," he says. "I asked my employees what they needed and listened to what they told me."

It's a playbook THRIVE program leaders intend to follow in the community, starting with a series of in-person listening sessions and meetings with employees, elected officials and local partners this month. Some ideas for how to use the money already surfaced during the selection process, including public utility needs and infrastructure concerns.

How our company's $1 million investment is ultimately spent, however, will be determined by people with direct stakes in the outcome.

"We want this to be a community partnership where we're asking, 'What are your challenges and how can we help?'" says Katie Hooker, corporate giving manager. "The employees and the people in Zwolle are going to do this together - and that's what I'm most excited about."

Employees ready to represent Weyerhaeuser on our float as the community celebrates the Zwolle Tamale Fiesta.

BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE

There will be no need for introductions as the work begins since the town and mill have been linked seemingly forever. Anthony, who's fast approaching his 40-year work anniversary, says he takes special pride in that history.

"I haven't decided when it will be time to retire, but even after I do, I won't go far," he says.

His place, like most in Zwolle, is near the mill. Sometimes, when the weather is cool and the wind is blowing just right, he says he can step outside his house and hear the veneer chipper running in the distance, right there in the heart of town.

"I love what I do, and I love that mill," he says. "I want to look back and say I did my very best for it. I want it to be successful long after I leave."

Local news covered our THRIVE investment shortly after it was announced. Click above to watch and read the coverage.

THE ZWOLLE TAMALE FIESTA

Last month, in keeping with tradition, thousands of people descended on Zwolle for the one thing that might define the town's regional identity more than wood products: the Zwolle Tamale Fiesta.

Held annually during the second full weekend of October, the event celebrates the area's Native American and Spanish heritage with music, activities and, of course, lots and lots of tamales.

Weyerhaeuser is a longtime sponsor. The Z-Care Committee, our community service team at the Zwolle mill, entered a float in the parade that celebrates the final day of the fiesta. The float, which was built on a flatbed trailer, featured green Weyerhaeuser banners, tassels, paper lanterns and a giant blow-up cactus.

About a dozen mill leaders and employees rode in the parade, which started at the Zwolle schoolgrounds and wound through the main streets downtown.

Every year, the official poster of the Tamale Fiesta is chosen from designs submitted through a community contest. The posters are hung around town and given to sponsors.

"We have festival posters dating back to the 1970s," says Crystal Newsom, our human resources business partner in Zwolle. "They're in storage now, but I'm hoping to reframe them soon and display them up around the mill once construction of the new office building is complete."

Yet another sign of the proud history and connection to the Zwolle community.

Additional local news coverage. Click above to watch the video and read the article.

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