Doug and Jody Fletcher, owners of Maine Wood Turning in New Vineyard, closed on the sale of the plant on Tuesday morning and created a new company called American Pride LLC that will encompass the Guilford wood-turning facility.

At the heart of the sale are 60 positions that likely would have been eliminated had the Fletchers not purchased the property. Pride Manufacturing Co. officials informed employees in June 2005 that the plant would close in September if a buyer could not be found. The company plans to focus more on its golf products.

"With manufacturing jobs leaving this country and the state, we simply could not sit by and allow another wood products company to bite the dust without at least exploring the options to see what we could do to help," Doug Fletcher said Tuesday. Fletcher said that he was impressed with the help his business has received.

"I'll say this, due to the competitive nature of our business and the pressures exerted on us by cut-rate foreign imports, without the Community Development Block Grant, the funds simply would not have been available for us to secure this acquisition," he said in a prepared press release. "If that were the case, 60 more people could potentially be out there looking for work."

"We couldn't be more delighted to be selling this business to the Fletchers," Bob Burr, chief executive officer of Pride Manufacturing Co., said Tuesday in a prepared release. "Doug and Jody have been very successful at Maine Wood Turning, and we have the highest respect for the way they manage and operate their business." Burr also expressed his appreciation for the help company officials received from Gov. John Baldacci and local officials in moving the sale forward.

Baldacci said Tuesday that saving jobs at Pride Manufacturing Co. was a priority for him, and he is pleased with the outcome. "We refused to accept the closure of the plant because we knew the town and its residents depended on it," Baldacci said.

The state and town worked together to come up with a plan to provide the assistance the Fletchers needed. "We are all pleased that the plant will continue operating at its current capacity," he said.

No one appeared any happier about the news than Guilford Town Manager Tom Goulette, who helped secure a $400,000 Community Development Block Grant to assist the Fletchers with the purchase. "I guess my reaction is one of relief and gratitude," Goulette said Tuesday. "Pride Manufacturing has always been very important to this town and today's purchase by American Pride is certainly a vital step in maintaining the local economy." Goulette said it was a "great day" for Guilford and the surrounding communities, and the company's 60 employees.

"The shutting down of a company this size would have had far-reaching effects on all of us. There has been some nervous tension but never a loss of hope," he said. "I'm guessing a lot of families will finally rest a little easier tonight."

Maine Wood Turning Inc. has been manufacturing custom wood turnings, toy parts and handles from Maine hardwoods since 1971. It is anticipated that American Pride LLC will continue to manufacture all of the products previously made by Pride at its Guilford plant.

The company's clients are primarily businesses that resell or use the products in the creation of other items. In January 2005, it acquired Cincinnati-based Lutz File & Tool Co., a file handle company that has been in business since 1904. The company currently employs 57 workers at its New Vineyard plant.

The sale of the Guilford site includes nine buildings, equipment, inventory and about 75 acres. Pride's Guilford machine shop is not included in the sale.
"This content originally appeared as a copyrighted article in the Wednesday, October 19, 2005 edition of the Bangor Daily NEWS and is used here with permission."