STONE CCOUNTY — As Hood Industries prepares to permanently close its Wiggins plywood mill at the end of August, community organizations are working to help approximately 250 displaced employees find new jobs and connect them with financial, mental health and other support services.
A two-day job fair for former Hood Industries employees will be held Aug. 14 from noon to 6 p.m. and Aug. 15 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Perkinston campus. The event is part of a coordinated rapid response effort following the company’s announcement that the mill would close after Tropical Storm Arthur caused significant damage to the facility.
The mill has operated in Wiggins for 56 years.
“We are part of the rapid response team,” said Rachael Kunz, associate vice president of workforce solutions at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. “Rapid response starts immediately after the announcement of the closing of an industry partner … as a community college, we want to serve our community.”
Screenshot Credit: Courtesy of Rachael KunzKunz said the job fair was organized within a week of Hood Industries announcing the closure July 7.
The rapid response team includes Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, the Mississippi Department of Human Services and Stone County Economic Development. In collaboration with MGCCC, Stone County Economic Development has also launched a website connecting residents with job opportunities, school supply assistance, mental health resources, food assistance and other community services.
Kunz said the effects of the closure will extend beyond the mill’s workforce.
“It’s not just the employees,” she said. “Suppliers, restaurants and other small businesses throughout the community will also feel the impact.”
Hood Industries said approximately 250 employees are affected by the closure. Company President Jay Galloway called the decision difficult.
“We are well aware of the impact this decision will have on the Wiggins employees, their families and community,” Galloway said in a statement.
The company said affected employees will meet with Hood Industries representatives to discuss transition assistance and opportunities at other company facilities. Employees will continue receiving pay through Sept. 5 as part of the company’s transition plan.
Former Hood Industries employee Joseph Fairley worked at the Wiggins, Miss., plywood mill for 25 years before being laid off July 24, 2026. Credit: Courtesy of Joseph FairleyFor longtime employees, the closure marks the end of decades of work.
Joseph Fairley spent 25 years at the mill as a lift driver before being laid off July 24.
“It was sad because I just never thought that it would close,” Fairley said. “It’s been there so long. I didn’t see it coming. It didn’t hit me that day … but the next day it did.”
Fairley said the facility needed repairs before Tropical Storm Arthur damaged the mill, including work on the roof, but he hoped the problems would eventually be addressed.
Lew Douglas Schuit, who worked at the mill for 13 years as a machine and forklift operator before also being laid off July 24, described hearing the news as “a sinking feeling.”
“I wasn’t necessarily expecting it,” Schuit said. “With what they had said was the cause, it’s something I knew would happen eventually. I figured it would be able to be reconciled.”
Former Hood Industries employee Lew Douglas Schult worked at the Wiggins, Miss., plywood mill for 13 years before being laid off July 24, 2026. Credit: Courtesy Lew Douglas SchultHood Industries is also expanding operations elsewhere in Mississippi, with a new sawmill in Wayne County and a new plywood mill in Perry County expected to be completed later this year. Fairley believes those investments influenced the company’s decision not to repair the Wiggins facility.
“I don’t think the owner wanted to put a lot of money in here because he put a lot of money into the new mills,” Fairley said.
As the community prepares for the mill’s final weeks, Fairley said he is focused on taking time to recover before deciding what comes next.
“Right now, I’m going to take some time off, just for my mental health,” he said. “I’ve been working so long. I’ve raised my kids through that mill, so I’m going to take a couple of months off.”
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