Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton will be in Duluth Friday morning to meet with officials of the Georgia-Pacific Co., though it's unclear what role the visit will have in the future of the company's plant that's slated to close at month's end.
The company, based in Atlanta, announced Tuesday it planned to permanently close the Duluth plant at the end of August, sell off or relocate the equipment and sell the property. The move puts 141 people out of work, though some may land jobs at other Georgia-Pacific plants.
According to Katharine Tinucci, the governor's spokeswoman, Dayton and Lt. Gov. Yvonne Prettner Solon will meet about 10 a.m. with employees and company officials. She didn't say what the governor hoped to accomplish in the meeting.
"He wants to show his support for the workers,'' Tinucci told the News Tribune. She said officials from the state Department of Employment and Economic Development also will be on hand "to make sure workers have all the resources available.''
The plant makes a specialized hardboard product from wood chips used in the auto industry for things like visors, rear shelves and trunk liners.
