Pacific Headwear plant in Coburg to close, cutting most jobs

Coburg is set to lose one of its specialized manufacturing operations, and most of the 83 people who work there are on the way out. Augusta Sportswear, Inc. filed notice that it will permanently close its Pacific Headwear facility at 91230 Coburg Industrial Way on or around July 17, a shutdown that will hit a small Lane County city far harder than the headline number suggests.

The company’s WARN notice says the closure will affect approximately 83 employees, with only a limited number offered continued employment through transfers. The Oregon Rapid Response Activity Tracking System lists the move as WARN track No. 9507, a large layoff involving 83 workers in Coburg. KLCC reported that none of the affected employees are represented by a union, leaving workers to navigate the transition individually.

For Coburg, the loss lands first on households, then on the businesses that depend on plant workers' paychecks. A shutdown of that size removes a sizable share of industrial employment from a city that does not have the deep labor market of Eugene-Springfield, and it narrows the base of local manufacturing jobs in Lane County. The ripple effects will likely show up fastest in daily spending, from nearby food stops to other services used by workers on Coburg Industrial Way.

The plant is tied to Pacific Headwear, a line that parent company Momentec Brands says produces custom-embroidered hats there. That makes the Coburg site more than a generic warehouse or office. It appears to be a specialized production facility with embroidery work built into the operation, which helps explain why a closure here matters to the region’s manufacturing footprint as much as to the workers themselves.

Momentec Brands was formed in March 2024 after Platinum Equity acquired Augusta Sportswear Brands and Founder Sport Group. Augusta Sportswear had acquired Pacific Headwear in August 2019, and the Coburg plant became part of that broader portfolio. The company’s May 13 notice went not only to Oregon officials but also to Coburg Mayor Nancy Bell, underscoring how directly the decision reaches into the city’s economy.

The WARN filing gives workers formal notice and time to prepare, but it also leaves the key question unanswered: how many of the 83 employees will actually land transfers, and how many will be laid off when the Coburg line goes dark. For Lane County, the closure is a reminder that one plant can still shape the economic outlook of an entire town.