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Home About Us B2B Club Breaking News Contact Donate Events / Programs Feedback Ideas Incubator Industry Clusters Links / Resources Progess Funds Progress Teams Public Art / Murals Publications		Breaking News August 21, 2004 By Deb Cleworth, Daily Tribune Staff When Stora Enso North America announced last August it would eliminate hundreds of jobs, many employees wondered where the future would take them. Dave Houtevelde of Kellner thought his family of five might have to move from the area if he lost his job as an off-machine blade coater, a position he held for 10 years. That hasn't happened, but Houtevelde said he isn't taking anything for granted. As others lose their jobs, he moves down the seniority list. "I'm OK for right now," said Houtevelde, 38. "I've survived the (latest) job cuts." Others didn't. After 22 years with the company, Wayne Hilgart's job was eliminated, and he was moved to the Corenso division - only to lose that job. Hilgart now helps run two central Wisconsin businesses, Centralcom, which specializes in electronic security systems, and WKLM, a real estate business. Centralcom just hired three former Stora Enso displaced employees, Hilgart said "There's pluses and minuses," Hilgart said about running a business instead of working for one. "I wouldn't be (in these businesses) if I was still with Stora Enso or Corenso." "Right now, I'm making my own future," he said. "That is a plus." For Steve Hass of Grand Rapids, the future seemed a bit uncertain on July 20, 2003, the last day he spent at Corenso, where he worked as a forklift and machine operator for 3 1/2 years. Corenso North America is a subsidiary of Corenso United, which is a subsidiary of Stora Enso Oyj. "I knew (a layoff) was coming, but it was a shock, and then relief," he said. The relief came from finally knowing his job status, instead of wondering what was going to happen, said Hass, who lacked seniority. "In my situation, I didn't think I would have lasted too long anyway," he said. He has since decided to take accounting classes at the Mid-State Technical College-Wisconsin Rapids Campus in Grand Rapids. He plans to finish his coursework by May. He is among 119 dislocated workers receiving help through Mid-State, a 19 percent decrease from last year, said Kate Kaz, career services manager at MSTC. Sandy Ward, 41, of Arpin worked for Stora Enso North America for more than three years before she lost her job in 2002. Since then, she went back to school at Mid-State and acquired a new job. When Ward got the news she was being laid off, she went through a phase of disbelief before accepting her release and moving on, she said. "I decided the thing to do was either sit on the couch and watch TV until my unemployment ran out, or I could get out and go back to school," she said. Ward wanted to use the degree in business administration she already had earned, but she also wanted to take college courses to become familiar with today's technology. Ward graduated from Mid-State in May with a computer programming degree. She was hired full time for Bank-A-Count in Rudolph as a Web designer after working there as a temp since November. What the future holds for other dislocated workers is difficult to determine, said Cindy Kiesling, coordinator for the state's central Wisconsin Displaced Workers Program. "The bad side of dislocation is you just can't tell when something is going to happen again," she said. "We're just going to continue to see (job cuts). Hopefully it won't be at the level we've seen the last three years." "We're just starting to see people gain new positions, people being able to find positions in a field they're trained in and people taking temp jobs," Kiesling said. "We're just starting to see more of that this quarter - that people are being more successful." Employers on the whole, not just Stora Enso, seem to be laying off fewer workers now, said Connie Willfahrt, vice president of student affairs at Mid-State. "What that means to us at the college is we have fewer dislocated workers to serve," Willfahrt said. Once Hass graduates, he hopes to get employment locally. He has extended family members in the Wisconsin Rapids area and town of Rome. "I've established myself in the community," he said. "I was kind of hoping when I went into school, something positive would happen in the area, that I might be able to use my schooling to get in someplace," Hass said. The Community Progress Initiative, a three-year project started in April to rebuild the local economy, shows promise, he said. "Things look to be leveling more, and are not as scary as it looked a year ago," he said. "I feel more confident now. ... In my opinion, the storm has passed." Kaz agreed at least the outlook seems to be positive. "I think all of us would agree the economy is not robust," she said, "but it's getting better." You can reach Deb Cleworth at 422-6730 or dcleworth@wisconsinrapidstribune.com. Daily Tribune reporter Colin Atagi contributed to this report.
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