toro68

Here are a few links about a former employer, that I use to work for, part-time.
What a shame!

http://www.theforecaster.net/content...rniture-closes

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2...ds-to-be-sold/

http://www.pressherald.com/news/Bank...e-Cottage.html

http://www.lenely.com/maine-cottage-...dfind-bankrup/

Dapapadon

Times are tough. My employer folded on Feb. 25th. We were told on Feb. 23rd. Took me 3 weeks to get one of my paychecks cleared up. Hope the employees got their final pay. My guess is the customers are out of luck, unfortunately.

toro68

You are right the customers, are out of luck.
I worked there from July 2002- Jan.2009. The vice-president of Maine Cottage, came to me on a Monday afternoon (I worked second shift), and said I was out of a job.

gearheads78

A lot of that article bashing on the bank is uncalled for. With that writers logic I rent a house and pay my payments to a landlord. He pockets the money instead of paying the mortgage. He gets forclosed on. Who did me wrong.... the bank ? No the piece of crap land lord

toro68

It is ironic you a 1960s of a Oldsmobile dealership from the Bay State, that closed in 1966.

toro68

I agree.
Many former employees, did not think it was a great plan to open up a store in FL. Somebody on the Aurora forum made a stupid comment that is was "Bush's FALUT".
Granted, Maine has one of the worst business climates in this country, but on the other hand, there was some poor management stunts that comapny did.

toro68

I got my three weeks vaction pay and MOST of my personal/sick time.
I say most, beacuse I did not get paid 6 hours of amy personal/sick time.
I got laid off in Jan of 2009.

Dapapadon

Here's a link to an article about our mill. The mill has made paper for over a 100 years. Chinese buying up the waste paper (pushing up the price) is what finally pushed us under. But there were a lot of other factors.

http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-cit..._175_jobs.html

We didn't get our vacation, severence or floating holiday pay. Bankruptcy judge supports us getting Warn Act pay. We'll see how that goes. We did get approved under the Trade Affected Workers Act. So we have some TAA benefits.

Don

toro68

The paper industry is pretty much shot to Hell in the Pine Tree State.

Dapapadon

Similar here. Some mills are doing ok. Our's had made newsprint for years. Couldn't convert to a more profitable product mix.

Don

1969w3155

The same here. I worked at Sappi here in Muskegon, when they started the layoffs, they stated global compition, to which I replied, "you're building a plant in China, and another in Russia"..they did not have much of an answer. They closed last year, with us losing about 650 jobs in the last few years. The mill went back over 100 years. Sappi bought it from S.D. Warren/Scott paper about 20 yeras ago. Sappi= South African Paper Products International. I subsitute the "products" with pr**ks.

toro68

OH MY GOSH - YOU HAVE SAPPI TOO!
Sappi Paper took over the S.D. Warren mill in Westbrook, Maine (in my county Cumberland County), in the mid 1980s. Folks said Sappi bought out S.D. WAREEN, JUST TO LIQUIDATE the mill (as they were right).
My uncle work for that mill, as a research scientist for 38+ years.
He retired from the mill in 1986, because he had the option to retire under either the SD Warren plan or Sappi's. He wisly chose the SD plan.

1969w3155

To my knowledge, they had 3 or 4 mills in North America that they purchased, and proceeded to treat the people like crap. S.D. Warren had a good reputaion with the employees. My best friends dad retired during the buyout phase when Sappi took over. When they announced the first round of layoffs in 2005, they brought in the police "in case there was trouble". Except there were NEVER any clashes, protests, outbreaks, etc. in the history of the compnay here, whether under the ownership of S.D. Warren or Sappi. A--holes! My understanding was they bought S.D. Warren to get a patented paper formula, then proceeded to start shutting down plants. I do realize that the paper industry, as in magazines, corporate advertising, etc. is down do to the internet, but they definitely created much of the "competition". They also have a mill in Minnesota.

toro68

OH MY GOD!
In the lab of the S. D. Warren (Westbrook, Maine) my uncle (along with his co-workers) worked on/invented a type of paper coating (quiver). You would need a Master Degree in Chemical Biogoly just to understand the properties of Quiver. When Sappi took over the Westbrook mill, things when to Hell in a Handbasket. One of the main reasons (after 38+ years)my uncler left , people under my uncle was getting promotions over him (this was 1985/'86). But like I said the S.D Warren retirement package was a much better deal that Sappi.
I miss my uncle(passed away late Dec. 2010, he was 83).

Some very cool cars that would show at the S. D Warren (Westbrook Mill), over a peroid of almost 40 years. My uncle's former rides:
grey 1948 Buick Roadmaster (my grandfather's car), 1963 Olds Jetfire (three years old at the time, 1966), 1966 Vista Cruiser(new), 1961 Ford Starliner (bought new). If he borrowed his son's truck it was a brown/copper 1973 Ford F-250 4x4 (360 four barrel with a four speed).

If car pooling and/or borrowing one of my Dad's cars it could of been one of the following:
white 1959 Chevy Impala ragtop (TRI-POWER 348 with four speed ) 1959-1961
gold 1962 Impala SS Golden Annviary (283 2 barrel, atuomatic) owned for 18 months, lossed only $100 on a trade on this next GM ride
Wedgewood Blue 1963 Starfire (1963-1965)
tan 1965 Starfire convertible (1965- Sept 1967)
teal 1968 Olds Toronado (Oct 1967-June 1972)
teal 1969 IH Scout (1970-1977, this SUV just rusted out. Too bad, very realible)
red 1972 Olds Toronado (June 1972-June 1982, frame broke)
tan 1976 Toyota J-40 Landcruiser (1977-Sept 1980, motor threw a rod, my Dad was ticked!)
white 1973 Toronado (June 1982-Sept 1988)

toro68

More updates:
http://www.mainebiz.biz/news47705.html

http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/malle...ottage-stores/

I find the comments very intresting.