COQUILLE VALLEY LUMBER COMPANY
Linn County - Albany
April 6, 1959: "Coquille Valley Lumber company officials in Milwaukie today announced plans for building a plywood fabricating plant near Albany.
Noble H. Chowning, president and general manager of the Coquille Valley company, said construction has been scheduled to start this week two miles north of Albany on plant which he said will employ between 30 and 40 persons.
Chowning said the plant's production will be in prefabrication plywood parts for construction and industrial market, Due for immediate installation, he said, is is a Prentice dryer. Machinery for a sheathing layup plant and for fabrication of Douglas fir plywood components will be added later.
The 20,000 square foot steel building will rise on Oregon Electric Railroad industrial property immediately west of the Kraft Paper plant, Chowning said. The site includes 12 acres--enough to allow for future expansion, he said.
'We feel the future of the plywood business is going to justify our larger endeavors, particularly in the field of prefabrication of components and box beams,' the plywood company president said.
The Coquille Valley company now operates a sawmill and veneer plant, along with a complete logging operation, in the heart of the Siuslaw National Forest midway between the Alsea and Siuslaw rivers at Paris, Ore. The company also has a complete plywood products plant at Milwaukie.
Production of the expanding company now totals about eight million square feet of plywood, on a 3/8 inch standard, each month. It also operates a fleet of 20 trucks and trailers, and employs 400 persons. The Coquille Valley firm's annual payroll is about two million dollars, the president said.
Paperwork for the Albany plant was being completed this week, and Chowning said the plant is expected to be ready for production by the first week in June.
Manager of the Albany unit will be Noble H. Chowning Jr., and Eldon Chowning will be in charge of all fabrication.
The company president said that most of the help will be hired locally, and that only three or four specialists will be brought in the help with the Albany operation." (Albany Democrat-Herald)
Noble H. Chowning, president and general manager of the Coquille Valley company, said construction has been scheduled to start this week two miles north of Albany on plant which he said will employ between 30 and 40 persons.
Chowning said the plant's production will be in prefabrication plywood parts for construction and industrial market, Due for immediate installation, he said, is is a Prentice dryer. Machinery for a sheathing layup plant and for fabrication of Douglas fir plywood components will be added later.
The 20,000 square foot steel building will rise on Oregon Electric Railroad industrial property immediately west of the Kraft Paper plant, Chowning said. The site includes 12 acres--enough to allow for future expansion, he said.
'We feel the future of the plywood business is going to justify our larger endeavors, particularly in the field of prefabrication of components and box beams,' the plywood company president said.
The Coquille Valley company now operates a sawmill and veneer plant, along with a complete logging operation, in the heart of the Siuslaw National Forest midway between the Alsea and Siuslaw rivers at Paris, Ore. The company also has a complete plywood products plant at Milwaukie.
Production of the expanding company now totals about eight million square feet of plywood, on a 3/8 inch standard, each month. It also operates a fleet of 20 trucks and trailers, and employs 400 persons. The Coquille Valley firm's annual payroll is about two million dollars, the president said.
Paperwork for the Albany plant was being completed this week, and Chowning said the plant is expected to be ready for production by the first week in June.
Manager of the Albany unit will be Noble H. Chowning Jr., and Eldon Chowning will be in charge of all fabrication.
The company president said that most of the help will be hired locally, and that only three or four specialists will be brought in the help with the Albany operation." (Albany Democrat-Herald)
May 26, 1960: "A 25-year-old man who allegedly was injured last October in a fall at the Coquille Valley Lumber company mill near Albany filed a $77,386.80 damage suit against the firm in circuit court Wednesday.
Donald Slover, who is seeking $75,000 general damages and $2,752.24 special for medical expenses and lost wages, charged that he injured his left elbow and arm severely when he fell on a veneer hoist while employed as a dryer-feeder man at the plant on Oct. 10, 1959.
His complaint said that he had to move across a platform while feeding veneer into the dryer.
He charged the company with negligence in placing him on a job which allegedly required at least two men, in failing to warn him of danger, and in failing to place guard rails around the platform.
Slover said that he fell with great force, striking his left elbow and breaking a bone in the arm." (Albany Democrat-Herald)
Donald Slover, who is seeking $75,000 general damages and $2,752.24 special for medical expenses and lost wages, charged that he injured his left elbow and arm severely when he fell on a veneer hoist while employed as a dryer-feeder man at the plant on Oct. 10, 1959.
His complaint said that he had to move across a platform while feeding veneer into the dryer.
He charged the company with negligence in placing him on a job which allegedly required at least two men, in failing to warn him of danger, and in failing to place guard rails around the platform.
Slover said that he fell with great force, striking his left elbow and breaking a bone in the arm." (Albany Democrat-Herald)
January 20, 1961: "Coquille Valley Lumber Company's new Albany plywood fabricating facility will help absorb workers affected by a shutdown of the firm's Milwaukie plant, according to an announcement by Noble Chowning, Sr., president.
Announcing that Coquille Valley would close its Milwaukie plant because of adverse market conditions and other factors, Chowning said about 45 of the workers will move to the Albany plant.
The firm started production here in 1959. At the outset, the plant consisted of facilities for drying veneer, and the lay-up operation was added last year." (Albany Democrat-Herald)
Announcing that Coquille Valley would close its Milwaukie plant because of adverse market conditions and other factors, Chowning said about 45 of the workers will move to the Albany plant.
The firm started production here in 1959. At the outset, the plant consisted of facilities for drying veneer, and the lay-up operation was added last year." (Albany Democrat-Herald)
March 21, 1963: "Because of a box car shortage 100 employes of the Coquille Valley Lumber Co. plywood mill here will be idle Friday.
General Manager Noble Chowning Sr., company president, said Wednesday that the plant will be shut down because a continued shortage mof railroad cars during the last month has resulted in a 100-car inventory build-up at the plant. He said production will not be resumed until more cars are available.
The Coquille Valley company is not the only firm suffering from the box car dearth here. George Kern, sales manager for Duraflake, a hard-board manufacturing industry, said his company has been spasmodically hampered by lack of cars and has been forced to delay filing orders but does not plan to halt operations unless the situation becomes worse.
Single eight foot and double door cars are in short supply at Sweet Home, and Lebanon, according to spokesmen for the Willamette National Lumber Co., Santiam Lumber Co., United States Plywood and Lester Cedar Products Inc.
Chowning said he has protested to the Interstate Commerce Commission, Sens. Wayne Morse and Maurine Neuberger and to Edward Hilton of the Douglas Fir Plywood Association, as well as to Gov. Mark Hatfield.
Chowning said his company's plants at Waldport and Five Rivers, employing nearly 150 men, will also be affected soon by the car famine." (The Oregonian)
General Manager Noble Chowning Sr., company president, said Wednesday that the plant will be shut down because a continued shortage mof railroad cars during the last month has resulted in a 100-car inventory build-up at the plant. He said production will not be resumed until more cars are available.
The Coquille Valley company is not the only firm suffering from the box car dearth here. George Kern, sales manager for Duraflake, a hard-board manufacturing industry, said his company has been spasmodically hampered by lack of cars and has been forced to delay filing orders but does not plan to halt operations unless the situation becomes worse.
Single eight foot and double door cars are in short supply at Sweet Home, and Lebanon, according to spokesmen for the Willamette National Lumber Co., Santiam Lumber Co., United States Plywood and Lester Cedar Products Inc.
Chowning said he has protested to the Interstate Commerce Commission, Sens. Wayne Morse and Maurine Neuberger and to Edward Hilton of the Douglas Fir Plywood Association, as well as to Gov. Mark Hatfield.
Chowning said his company's plants at Waldport and Five Rivers, employing nearly 150 men, will also be affected soon by the car famine." (The Oregonian)
March 22, 1963: "The spotty shortage of wide-door railroad box cars which has been plaguing the plywood industry in Oregon and elsewhere in the Northwest for the past two weeks, Thursday appeared to be easing.
Nine of the scarce carriers were spotted Thursday night at the Coquille Valley Lumber Co. in Albany, where General Manager Noble Chowning Sr. said the plywood mill will remain open on Friday as a result.
'We'll be closed Saturday, however,' Chowning said, 'and will probably be on some kind of a curtailed program next week." (The Oregonian)
Nine of the scarce carriers were spotted Thursday night at the Coquille Valley Lumber Co. in Albany, where General Manager Noble Chowning Sr. said the plywood mill will remain open on Friday as a result.
'We'll be closed Saturday, however,' Chowning said, 'and will probably be on some kind of a curtailed program next week." (The Oregonian)
February 22, 1964: "Sale of Coquille Valley Lumber Co. of Albany, ore., to John S. Brandis of Portland was announced Friday by Noble Chowning Sr., president and general manager of the plywood producing firm.
Brandis resigned recently as executive vice president of Georgia-Pacific Corp. He reportedly is negotiating to acquire other plywood properties in the Northwest.
Purchase price of the Coquille Valley Lumber property was not disclosed, but value of the assets is estimated at $3.5 million. Physical properties include a veneer mill and sawmill at Paris, in the Siuslaw National Forest, plus timber, logging equipment and the highly automated Albany layup plant which is capable of turning out 7.5 million square feet of sheathing each month.
Principal selling stockholders, in addition to the president, were Al Haslett, secretary; Leon Guggenblicker, vice president, and Noble Chowning, Jr., treasurer. All will remain with the company under the new management, for at least the immediate future, Noble Chowning Sr. said." (Oregon Daily Journal)
Brandis resigned recently as executive vice president of Georgia-Pacific Corp. He reportedly is negotiating to acquire other plywood properties in the Northwest.
Purchase price of the Coquille Valley Lumber property was not disclosed, but value of the assets is estimated at $3.5 million. Physical properties include a veneer mill and sawmill at Paris, in the Siuslaw National Forest, plus timber, logging equipment and the highly automated Albany layup plant which is capable of turning out 7.5 million square feet of sheathing each month.
Principal selling stockholders, in addition to the president, were Al Haslett, secretary; Leon Guggenblicker, vice president, and Noble Chowning, Jr., treasurer. All will remain with the company under the new management, for at least the immediate future, Noble Chowning Sr. said." (Oregon Daily Journal)