Hankins sawmill sold, plant back in business

By By William F. West / community editor
Jan. 29, 2003
QUITMAN A longtime sawmill that had planned to close is now operating again under the new ownership of a father-and-son team from Wayne County.
Bazor Lumber Co. acquired the Hankins Lumber Co. sawmill at 300 N. Archusa Ave. for an undisclosed price. Owners Fred Bazor Jr. , 58, and his son, Brantley, 37, are operating the mill with 23 employees.
Bazor said he would like to have as many as 45 employees at the sawmill. But, he said, the number of workers will not approach the approximately 135 the mill employed during its heyday.
The news came the same day the state released its latest unemployment figures for December. Clarke County's unemployment stood at 13.6 percent, while the statewide rate was 6.1 percent.
Clarke County struggled much of 2002 with an unemployment rate near 20 percent the highest in the state. Unemployment skyrocketed after Burlington Industries closed its Stonewall plant.
Sawmill's history
The Quitman sawmill dates back to the 19th century. It had various owners until the Hankins family of Grenada bought it in the mid-1980s.
In late December, Hankins Lumber began laying off about 100 to 110 employees leaving about 10 to 12 on the job. Hankins at the time gave no date for closing, citing a potential buyer.
Fred Bazor Jr. and Brantley Bazor are old friends of the Hankins family and had been eying the purchase of the mill for a long time.
The Bazors said they are upbeat about the mill and dedicated to helping Clarke County. The one thing that will be different at the plant is the type of lumber it will process.
Brantley Bazor said he and his father plan to process hardwoods for floors, such as red oak and white oak. The potential for profits is better with hardwoods, he said, than with the Southern Yellow Pine that Hankins had processed.
Currently, Bazor and his father are cutting spruce pine at the Clarke County plant for construction of farm sheds.
Experienced owners
The Bazors are from the Clara community along Highway 63 south of Waynesboro. They own Bazor Timber Co. and each have degrees in forestry from Mississippi State University.
Brantley Bazor has worked in timber procurement over the years, including for Stone Container Corp. in Hodge, La.; Weyerhaeuser Co. in Bruce; and Weyerhaeuser Co. in Waynesboro.
He has also worked in procurement for Hankins Lumber.
Fred Bazor Jr. owns Bazor Pulpwood and has been in logging business.
Quitman Mayor Tommy Blackburn said he feels a surge of optimism in the community.