Willamette Falls Paper Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Paper manufacturing |
| Predecessor | West Linn Paper Company |
| Founded | 1889 in West Linn, Oregon, United States |
| Headquarters | West Linn , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Ken Peterson (investor) |
| Products | Paper products |
Number of employees | 223 (2024) |
The Willamette Falls Paper Company—previously known as the West Linn Paper Company—is a United States-based paper producer situated just upstream of the Willamette Falls on the northwest shore of the Willamette River in West Linn, Oregon. It stands across the river from the former location of the Blue Heron Paper Company in Oregon City.
History
Paper manufacturing has been a part of the Willamette Falls region since 1866, with the establishment of the Willamette Falls Pulp and Paper Company on the West Linn side in 1889. At its height, this facility provided employment to approximately 1,600 individuals and distributed paper products to publications across the country. The mill experienced several ownership transitions: initially owned by Crown Zellerbach until 1985, then acquired by James River until 1990, followed by Simpson until 1996, when it halted operations, impacting nearly 400 workers. It resumed production in 1997 under the name West Linn Paper Company.
In October 2017, after operating for about twenty years, West Linn Paper announced its shutdown due to a shortage of pulp supply. Two years later, in November 2019, it reopened as Willamette Falls Paper Company with roughly 97 returning employees, supported by a substantial financial infusion from Ken Peterson’s Columbia Ventures. The company adopted a new approach that emphasizes manufacturing paper using waste straw from wheat farmers rather than conventional wood pulp.
In 2024, the firm unexpectedly terminated 70% of its workforce out of a total of 223 employees. Subsequently, a federal lawsuit was initiated alleging that these layoffs breached the WARN Act because proper advance notification was not provided.