Dec 21, 2005. /Lesprom Network/. The proposed sale of Georgia-Pacific's plywood mill in west Eugene has been completed, and the plant will reopen next month as Murphy Plywood, new owner John Murphy said. Mr. Murphy, who also owns a Sutherlin mill that burned down in July, would not disclose the purchase price, but said the Eugene plant will reopen January 3. "We're excited about our future," he told the Register-Guard newspaper on Tuesday. "We've been a Eugene-based company for many years that moved down to Sutherlin and we're back in Eugene." Mr. Murphy said his company is rehiring most of the employees who worked at the mill under Georgia-Pacific. He expects the work force to be about 250, down from a reported 275 under Georgia-Pacific. Mr. Murphy told workers last week that more than half of the employees would get the same rate of pay, 10% to 20% would get raises and 20% would see a pay cut. The plant makes hardwood plywood used to build cabinets and furniture. It's a higher quality product and more labor intensive than the softwood sheet plywood sold at home improvement stores. Mr. Murphy struck a deal to buy what he has described as a "struggling" plant last month from Atlanta-based Georgia-Pacific, which owned it for 43 years. Paul Ehinger, a retired timber industry consultant in Eugene, said the plant's stability is probably better under Murphy. "If we look at the history around the Pacific Northwest, the companies that always looked over their shoulders to Wall Street have not done nearly as well as the ones here, where decisions are made locally," he said. "They don't have to justify anything except to themselves. You have more entrepreneurship, which is what you need." As for the burned mill in Sutherlin, Murphy said he hope to make an announcement on its future in early 2006. He has previously stated a desire to rebuild.