Nancy Eidt can still remember reading the trade magazine article to the guys in the shop: &uot;In order for big businesses to succeed, they need to sell what is not a core business.&uot;

That was about five years before International Paper, where Eidt worked as a machinist and general mechanic, closed the doors of its Natchez mill.

&uot;IP had been telling us we were not a core business,&uot; said Eidt, who worked for 25 years at the mill, which made chemical cellulose.

While she may not have completely seen the writing on the wall, Eidt and her co-workers knew trouble probably lay ahead.

And when IP put the Natchez mill on the market, Eidt began to pay off her debts. Even then she didn’t envision the mill closing &045;&045; but perhaps a new buyer would lay off workers or pay them a lower wage.

&uot;I got rid of everything that was non-essential,&uot; Eidt said. &uot;There were a good many (employees) who did that.&uot;

But getting finances in order couldn’t prepare anyone for the blow that came on the day Eidt and her fellow IP workers found out the end was really coming.

First woman

When Eidt started looking for a job more than 25 years ago, she looked not only in Natchez but also went to Arkansas with a friend to search.

Eventually she got a call International Paper, then a 25-year-old mill in her hometown.

She landed a job. &uot;I was the first woman hired into maintenance as a whole,&uot; she said.

The work sustained her through a divorce and single motherhood.

&uot;It was a fulfilling job,&uot; Eidt said. &uot;I was able to raise a child and buy a home.&uot;

Meanwhile, Eidt continued to build her life in the community. A lifelong resident of Natchez, she continued to be close not only with her own family but also with her church family. She is also a member of the Natchez Community Band.

Those ties would make it harder for her to consider leaving Natchez.

Still, even with the talk about IP selling the mill, it was hard to imagine it closing, Eidt said. At the time, the mill held about 48 percent of the world market in chemical cellulose, and customers seemed to prefer what Natchez produced.

‘What for?’

It was a jumble of emotions for Eidt &045;&045; and for other co-workers &045;&045; on the day IP announced it planned to close.

&uot;I had a child at Mississippi State,&uot; Eidt said. &uot;I had all kinds of emotions.&uot;

While Eidt and others were in tears, some employees even began arguing and fighting. The tensions were just running high, Eidt said.

&uot;People were crying,&uot; she said. &uot;Some people were just plain mad. I was the peacemaker in my shop.&uot;

The tension soon abated, and co-workers shared information about jobs they had found.

The announcement came on Jan. 21, but most IP workers were there until the day it closed seven months later on July 31. It was a tough time.

&uot;You had to keep the mill running,&uot; Eidt said. &uot;But you felt like, what for?&uot;

Eidt herself didn’t start looking for a new job until July. She knew she wanted to stay in Natchez, and she mailed more than 40 resumes to a variety of companies &045;&045; as far away as Brookhaven, Baton Rouge, Alexandria and Vicksburg. She knew she would commute if that’s what it took.

&uot;There are people doing that right now,&uot; she said.

And Eidt and many co-workers were hopeful an employee buyout &045;&045; discussed for much of 2003 &045;&045; would come to fruition. That effort failed, however.

Jobs were hard to come by. Eidt was lucky that her prudent savings helped out &045;&045; her finances were in good order, despite losing her job.

But the job search took an emotional toll.

&uot;I would call my mama and cry on her shoulder,&uot; Eidt said.

A new job

Early in 2004, Eidt actually found herself back at the mill, working through temporary agency Manpower to help decommission lab equipment for International Paper. Hoping to help her community, she called up local schools and sent much of the materials to classrooms.

Then a cousin, Pail Eidt, came by to see her and suggested Eidt apply at The Blain Companies.

&uot;Paul and I were on the emergency response team at the mill,&uot; she said. &uot;I drove the ambulance, and I had a lot of safety knowledge.&uot;

Those skills helped her land a job as a truck driver for Maverick Trucking, a division of Blain.

Eidt has high praise for her employers.

&uot;They’ve gone out of their way to hire IP employees,&uot; she said, noting that Michael Blain &uot;really went out on a limb for me. I have nothing but the highest praise for him.&uot;

Better attitude

Although she makes a third of what she made at IP, Eidt loves her new job.

&uot;I’ve made a whole bunch of new friends,&uot; she said. &uot;It’s a learning experience. I’ve learned a lot about the road construction business.&uot;

Eidt learned early on after losing her job that she had to have a positive attitude to make it.

In fact, the sermon at a church where she went to play music one Sunday morning seemed especially designed for her. The pastor advised the congregation not to let worries overtake them.

&uot;That will make you sick,&uot; she said of worrying. &uot;I finally said, ‘I’m going to make it one way or another.’&uot;

One of the things that has helped Eidt succeed in her new job is a federal emergency grant. Money from that grant, designated for training and job search tasks for laid-off IP workers, bought Eidt the clothes and boots and even eyeglasses she needed for her new job.

&uot;Anything related to work, they’ll buy for me,&uot; she said.

Eidt made sure everything she purchased she bought at home, knowing it would help the local economy.

While her finances are in good shape &045;&045; she even has a bit of money left from her severance package &045;&045; there are luxury items Eidt can’t afford anymore. She didn’t buy a new car or remodel her kitchen, as she’d planned. That affects the economy, too, she said, noting that meant others in Natchez didn’t get the carpentry or plumbing work such a job would entail.

But for the most part, Eidt is happier than ever. Even her mother, she said, noticed she had a &uot;much better attitude.&uot;

The support of family and friends &045;&045; especially her son &045;&045; has helped.

&uot;I couldn’t make it without that boy,&uot; she said.

Still, she and other IP co-workers simply miss their camaraderie.

&uot;That’s the biggest complaint (among former employees) &045;&045; we miss our family and friends from IP,&uot; she said.

The future

While she doesn’t worry about her own future, Eidt is fearful for Natchez. Watching so many plants close over the years has been difficult.

She wants to see more industries locate in the area.

&uot;Tourism is wonderful,&uot; she said. &uot;But one more 9/11 will knock the fire out of tourism. It can’t be our only thing.&uot;

Eidt would like to see Natchez develop an industrial park. She’s heard of the local leadership’s plans to turn the old IP site into such a park and thinks it would be a great use of the land.

&uot;The potential’s here; the workforce is here,&uot; she said.

&uot;There are plenty of good, positive things about Natchez. It’s just going to take the right company to come in and say, ‘Hey, why haven’t we seen this before?’&uot;