By Associated Press - Saturday, April 5, 2014

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) - An estimated 250 workers who will be losing their jobs with the closure of Griffin Pipe in Council Bluffs will have an opportunity to find new work next week during a job fair at the Mid-America Center.

The job fair, being sponsored by the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce and Greater Omaha Economic Development Partnership, will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, the Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reported (https://bit.ly/Prg2SE ).

The job fair is an effort to help Griffin Pipe employees who “could be permanently out of work,” Bob Mundt, president and CEO of the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce, told the newspaper.

“What we’re trying to do is give the employees at Griffin Pipe the opportunities to connect with manufacturers and employers in Omaha and Council Bluffs that may have jobs for people,” Mundt said.

About 40 to 50 area employers, who are actively hiring, will have booths at the fair.

Council Bluffs officials received notification last month from U.S. Pipe Holdings in Hoover, Ala., that the Griffin Pipe Products plant would be closing in early May. U.S. Pipe Holdings is a subsidiary of U.S. Pipe and Foundry, Birmingham, Ala.

U.S. Pipe acquired a majority interest in Griffin Pipe earlier this year.

Mundt said Griffin Pipe officials plan to keep the facility viable for future work. However, it was not clear how long the plant would remain closed, he said.

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Information from: The Daily Nonpareil, https://www.nonpareilonline.com

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