Minutes after Columbia Falls Weyerhaeuser Co. employees learned their jobs were at risk on Wednesday, Flathead Job Service staffers met to talk about how to support the soon-to-be jobless.

Meanwhile, Flathead Valley Community College is launching efforts to respond to Weyerhaeuser workers’ needs for career training outside the timber industry.

The company plans to close its lumber and plywood mills in Columbia Falls this fall and eliminate office jobs by the end of the year — meaning roughly 200 jobs are set to disappear.

The news came four months after Weyerhaeuser, a Seattle-based timber giant, took over Plum Creek Timber Co., which has been active since 1946.

“I can’t speculate why they closed down,” said Trevor Gonser, the Kalispell employment services supervisor. “But we had been told after the merger — just like the workers — that their jobs were safe.”

Out of the 230 mill workers and roughly 100 office staffers affected by the closure, officials have said roughly 130 people can shift to other positions in Weyerhaeuser, particularly at the firm’s Evergreen plants.

Gonser said in preparation for those who lose their jobs, the Kalispell Job Service office is initiating its rapid response program, which aims to meet workers facing layoffs as the shock wears off.

Gov. Steve Bullock announced Wednesday he had directed Department of Labor & Industry Commissioner Pam Bucy to engage its Rapid Response Team of the Dislocated Worker program.

State program manager Kathy Yankoff said the rapid response is required through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act. The act requires employers who are ending more than 50 positions to give their workers at least 60 days’ notice.

She said including the Columbia Falls closures, Montana has launched the response program four times this year.

“I can’t say this points to a trend, because it depends on why each company decided to close, but Columbia Falls is definitely the big dog as far as affecting the most people so far,” Yankoff said.

She said as of July 1, the state will have $844,776 in federal funding to support Montanans who lost their jobs, most often due to layoffs or closures.

“While each job services location gets a portion of that funding, it’s flexible for where the greatest need will be, and we know there’s going to be a need in the valley after this,” Yankoff said.

A red folder sat on Gonser’s Kalispell desk as an example of what the Weyerhaeuser workers will be handed next week during Job Service workshops in the Columbia Falls warehouse.

“The workshops itself are about explaining the services that are available so these individuals know what rights they have,” he said.

For the short term, he said that means learning how to file for unemployment.

Later, it could mean pulling a resume together with the agency’s help or signing up for a certificate program at Flathead Valley Community College to tap into a new job market.

He said as dislocated workers, mill employees who don’t receive jobs elsewhere in the company qualify for financial support in retraining opportunities.

College President Jane Karas said she learned about the mill closures from Sen. Jon Tester’s office and the Job Service office.

“We all work closely together when something like this happens,” Karas said. “It’s a difficult situation for everybody, but as a college, we’re here to help people move forward.”

She said FVCC is rounding up a team of advisers, teachers and recruiters to visit the mill in upcoming weeks to talk about programs that could quickly plug people into jobs.

She said a part of the college’s effort will be informing people about available scholarships and how to transition into college.

“We’ve had students come to us from their teens into their 60s who have been successful after being a displaced worker,” she said. “I’m hoping we can help all of those workers be successful in what’s next.”

Gonser said the closure happened as the county’s unemployment rates had dropped three months in a row and job openings continue to rise.

He said as of Thursday, the Job Service’s website reached 1,000 positions available for the first time.

However, lumber mills have traditionally offered some of the highest-paying jobs in the valley. Gonser said most job openings won’t match the mills’ average pay of $22 an hour and starting rate of $16.

But he said the county’s average starting wage is growing as employers feel more pressure to access the smaller pool of people searching for work.

“You have places like Panda Express starting at $13 an hour. Obviously, that’s nothing like a mill worker would be interested in, but I think it shows how much employers really need job seekers,” Gonser said. “Especially those skilled workers if the timber service isn’t there for them anymore.”

Reporter Katheryn Houghton may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at [email protected].