Northwest Aluminum Specialties has been purchased by SAPA AS…an international company headquartered in Norway that has 110 locations worldwide, including 23 in the United States, and company officials say they plan to add to the workforce at the The Dalles plant next year.  Plant Manager Wade Ellertson says the company’s first order of business is to make equipment improvements that Northwest Aluminum Specialties had been unable to do due to financial challenges.  Ellertson added they see plenty of growth potential in The Dalles plant, which will now be known as SAPA Aluminum The Dalles Cast, and would like to double current output.  He said they are looking at adding 15 employees after the start of 2016.  Northwest Aluminum Specialties was worker owned, and President/CEO Bill Reid said they had been looking since the economic downturn of 2008 to find refinancing or a change in equity owners.  He noted Bank of the West worked with the company to keep the business going.  With the sale complete, Reid said he plans to retire, which he had intended to do two years ago but stayed on to help facilitate a sale.