COOS BAY, Ore. — In the shadow of the last sawmill still operating in this depressed timber town, Werner Zink grinds up old mop buckets and shampoo bottles to produce plastic lumber.
With the decline of an economy long built on forests and fishing along the southern Oregon Coast, the former machine shop operator decided not to bail out like so many, but to try something completely different.
"We're slowly creeping up on the wood guys," Zink said as he showed off the machinery he designed himself to wash, grind and mix recycled plastic.
Zink's company, Resco Plastics, stands as a symbol of what can rise from the rubble of dying industry. In fact, the factory is built on the site of a former shingle mill.
"He is an outstanding example of what the rest of us have to do, and that is diversify," said Loran Wiese, director of economic development for Coos County.
For as long as anyone can remember, timber and fishing were the lifeblood of the southern Oregon Coast. Anyone graduating from high school could expect to find a job in the many lumber and plywood mills. Those of a more independent mind could buy a one-man boat and troll for salmon.
But the timber boom times came to an end with the close of the 1980s as biologists began to understand that treating forests like tree farms destroyed habitat for the threatened northern spotted owl and salmon. Increased Canadian imports and growing competition from southeastern pine filled the gap, keeping prices low.
The mills that everyone took for granted closed down. Salmon seasons were steadily shortened, until most trollers gave up trying to make a living. About 6,000 people left Coos County in search of jobs. Their places were taken by retirees attracted by the mild weather, scenic beaches and nearby forests.
Unemployment has settled in around 10%, the highest in Oregon.
Coos Bay is working hard to bring in a natural gas line and more electrical capacity to woo a steel mill, but innovative operations like Resco Plastics are seen as an important part of the economic mix for the future.
A native of Munich, Germany, who studied music in college, Zink and his wife, Sabina, fell in love with the West Coast while on vacation. They had started a machine shop that produced specialty parts for loggers and fishermen. When the bottom fell out of those industries, they had to find something else.
