ALGOMA, Wis. (AP) - Masonite International Corp. has notified the city of Algoma that it will close its architectural door and mineral core manufacturing plant next year.
About 180 employees will lose their jobs beginning in mid-January, the Green Bay Press-Gazette (https://gbpg.net/2fFRqma ) reported. The Algoma Hardwoods plant will shut down at the end of August.
Masonite CEO Fred Lynch said the decision was difficult for reasons that go beyond the employees who worked hard to make the plant successful.
“The closure is a result of the need to simplify the business’ network of door plants and the overlap of Algoma’s service area with our other facilities,” said Lynch.
Bay Area Workforce Development Board executive director Jim Golembeski said the job market is healthy and that displaced workers from The Manitowoc Co. and Brillion Iron Works have had luck finding new employment.
“We have employers calling us and saying ’How do we talk to these people?’” he said. “It’s a very robust job market all around them. When we had a job fair in Manitowoc, we had to cut the employer participation off at 75 because that was all the room we had.”
However City Administrator Jeff Wiswell said the announcement has been devastating for employees who are concerned about their families and future. He said he’s hopeful other employers will absorb the workers.
“For the city of Algoma, it’s a disconcerting situation,” said Wiswell. “We looked at Hardwood as being a stable employer in the city of Algoma for over 100 years.”
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Information from: Press-Gazette Media, https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com
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