Update from the Natchitoches Chamber of Commerce:

I wanted to provide you with some information regarding the IP Red River shut down. Emotions are understandably running high in our community given the shock of this news and its impact on our entire region. That said, empathy, action, resources, and information are the antidote.

Here’s what we currently know:

From Senator Seabaugh, of the 481 total workers affected, about half were able to either transfer or retire, leaving about 240 individuals who are seeking new employment.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission (LAWC) is set up for situations like this. Their Rapid Response Assistance Team is activated and focused on:

Providing on-site services and assistance through a Mobile Unit where applications can be submitted on the spot.

Two events this Thursday and Friday focused on providing resources to IP employees.

A community-wide job fair is being organized and will be a coordinated effort between all workforce partners in the region.

Campti and Natchitoches resource hubs will be staffed on a weekly basis to ensure consistent services.

Campti Resource Center (Mayor Katrina Evans), 201 Edenborn St., Campti, La 71411

Natchitoches City Council Chambers (Mayor Ronnie Williams), 716 2nd Street, Natchitoches, La 71457

We have a significant number of manufacturers in the region who could hire dozens of employees today and they are acting quickly to pick up newly available talent and keep them here.

We (NEDA/Chamber) have set up an IP Closure Resources page at GoNatchitoches.com/JobOpportunities to keep a running list of manufacturing job boards, job fairs, and other resources as they become available. We also recently launched a Virtual Workforce Readiness Workshop that is being shared by the LAWC to those impacted and will be available on our resources page asap.

We will be sharing updates with our membership regularly to help disseminate this critical information for our community. This is information I encourage you all to share so more people know about the actions being taken and the resources available.