WHITEVILLE, N.C. -- Columbus County is suffering a major blow after one of its largest employers announced it will be laying off nearly 400 people by December.

Georgia-Pacific is stopping production at its plywood plant in Whiteville. Company officials say the dwindling housing market has decreased the demand for plywood.

Campus Grill is located less than a mile away from Georgia-Pacific and it always gets a lot of workers swinging by to grab a bite. Owner Diane Hammonds is taking advantage of the business now but she knows sales will take a dip once the company shuts down its plywood plant.

"I'm shocked. I got a stomachache, you know, because I feel sorry for them,” said Hammonds. “You know it's going to affect everybody."

Stopping plywood operations at Georgia-Pacific will also hurt trucking companies that are hired on a job-by-job basis to make plywood deliveries across the country.

“I travel in different states in little small towns and you go through them and it's just like ghost towns,” truck operator Terry Mosley said. “You know where you used to pick up loads and stuff like that, it's just not there anymore."

Columbus County officials say unemployment was at 8.5 percent in August, about 2 percent higher than the state average. Whiteville's town manager says the city will try to help Georgia-Pacific workers find new jobs.

Anyone affected by the layoff is being encouraged to call Whiteville's Economic Development Office at (910) 640-6608. Those in need will be set up with jobs, training or college courses.