As the Port of Newport nears completion of a nearly $20-million renovation of its International Terminal, two shipping companies are interested in using it as a log export hub.
Shawn Teevin, president of Teevin Brothers Land & Timber Co., told port commissioners Tuesday evening he expects a log exporting facility at the terminal to create 22 full-time jobs.
“These are family wage jobs,” he said.
In January, port commissioners heard a log exporting presentation from Roger Nance of Westerlund Log Handlers. Westerlund runs log shipping operations at the ports of Astoria and Tacoma.
It has been more than a decade since commercial shipping last took place at the International Terminal. The anticipation of a major business operation starting there drew a capacity crowd at the Newport City Hall council chambers.
“These are local jobs that local people can apply for,” said Yale Fogarty, president of International Longshore and Warehouse Local 53. “These jobs put wages back in the community. Every port that is exporting logs has added permanent year round jobs.”