New York firm, Governor open south Arkansas sawmill, 50 jobs expected

Officials with Astara Capital Partners, Gov. Sarah Sanders, and other state and local leaders marked the opening of the Camden Timbers sawmill Friday (Feb. 10) in Camden.

Camden Timbers will create more than 50 jobs in the south Arkansas region.

The company expects the sawmill to produce more than 50 million board feet of timbers and dimensional lumber through its sawmill, kiln, and planer operations.

“Astara is proud to invest in American manufacturing companies, and today’s ceremony highlights the wonderful team at Camden Timbers and its special partnership with the state of Arkansas,” said Astara Managing Partner Michael Ranson. “We appreciate the leadership of both Governor Sanders and former Governor Hutchinson, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, Arkansas Department of Finance, the Ouachita Partnership and a whole host of local leaders who helped make this project so successful.”

“This facility is a vision of what business development should look like in our state: government and businesses working hand-in-hand instead of against each other to create jobs, invest capital, and develop the next generation of talent,” Sanders said. “Thank you to the teams at Camden Timbers and Astara Capital Partners for investing right here in Arkansas.”

“We are thrilled that Astara is investing in Arkansas with the launch of Camden Timbers,” said Clint O’Neal, AEDC executive director. “Arkansas is the heart of the timber basket in the United States, offering abundant natural resources and a strong industry workforce. These competitive advantages will help Camden Timbers thrive and meet the needs of its customers.”

New York-based Astara Capital Partners is an integrated team of investors and operators investing in the middle market, according to its website.

Astara focuses on a variety of sectors, including packaging and converting, food, building products, forest products, and industrial manufacturing, distribution, and services.