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Idaho Forest Group to build new Mississippi sawmill

| December 16, 2020 1:00 AM

Idaho-based lumber producer Idaho Forest Group secured initial approval Monday for its plans to build the first new sawmill in Lumberton, Mississippi, since the 1920s, clearing the way for the company’s expansion into the southern United States.

The Lamar County Board of Supervisors approved a proposal to transfer 174 acres of county land to IFG, which plans to operate its state-of-the-art facility by 2022. 


“We are pleased to have the confidence of the Lamar County leadership,” said Marc Brinkmeyer, owner & chief executive officer of Idaho Forest Group.

IFG officials said the Lumberton advanced manufacturing facility will produce a variety of wood products and employ up to 135 people. Mill supervisors, information technology and human resources staff, engineers, technicians and operators will be recruited from the local area.

Company officials began visiting Lumberton and other sites in the region over the past year, looking for an opportunity to expand into the South.

“We felt welcomed by local officials and encouraged by workforce and education leaders in Mississippi,” said Tom Schultz, VP Resources and Government Affairs. “Between the availability and sustainability of raw material and the warm embrace we have received from locals, it was an easy decision to choose Lumberton for IFG’s first home in the South.”

Idaho Forest Group is a privately-owned company, based in Coeur d’Alene. IFG operates six sawmills, including one in Laclede, and a finger-joint plant at locations in Idaho and Montana, employing more than 1,100 team members and producing in excess of 1.2 billion board feet of lumber each year.