Georgetown officials, employers and nonprofits outline job fairs, retraining after International Paper mill closure

Georgetown County leaders and local partners on Friday described a rapid-response effort to help workers and businesses after International Paper announced the closure of its Georgetown mill, which officials said will directly affect nearly 700 employees and about 200 contractors.

"It has now been 1 week since the announcement of the international paper mill closure left our community in shock," Georgetown County Council Chair Lewis Morant said, adding that the decision was a corporate one and "did not involve Georgetown County." Morant said the county's first priority is helping affected families find stable employment and that a coordinated support plan is already under way.

A rapid-response team from the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, SC Works and the Waccamaw Regional Council of Governments has been on-site at the mill, holding informational sessions about unemployment insurance, reemployment services and retraining, Ayla Dyer, workforce development director for the Waccamaw Regional Council of Governments, said. She said the team has conducted 18 informational sessions and is organizing on-site workshops and two job fairs at Howard; she said more than 50 employers have already signed up and gave Nov. 15 as the employer registration deadline.

"These workshops are designed to prepare these employees for 2 upcoming job fairs," Dyer said, adding that employers interested in participating should contact Rusty Gaskins at rgaskins@wrcog.org.

Local employers are also stepping in. Bruce Bailey, president and CEO of Tidelands Health, said his system has "a couple 100 positions open right now" and that hospital officials are working with SC Works and area training providers to map employees' existing skills to available roles and to identify training where needed.

Georgetown County School District Superintendent Dr. Bethany Giles said the district will participate in hiring events and is assessing impacts on both instructional and noninstructional staff as well as on students whose family members have been affected. The Frances P. Bunnell Foundation and other philanthropic partners said they will review grantee funding and explore ways to fill gaps left by reductions in corporate giving.

Officials said the county does not own the IP property, that the company's decision was its own, and that a meeting with International Paper officials is scheduled within about 10 days to discuss impacts and next steps. County economic development staff said consultants are working on recruitment for industrial sites and that several spring announcements of new industries are now coming online.

While officials described many immediate supports, they acknowledged that many details remain unresolved: the total annual dollar amount of IP's past charitable giving is not yet known, a full list of affected contractors was still pending at the time of the briefing, and longer-term economic impacts will depend on subsequent private-sector hires and state and federal assistance.

County leaders encouraged affected workers to use on-site SC Works resources for resume help, mock interviews and career counseling, and to attend the hiring events. "Our focus now is on providing pathways to stable employment," Morant said. "We are resilient, and we will keep supporting each other, lifting up those impacted and working together toward a brighter future for all."