ORANGE CITY, IA -
More than 300 jobs lost in Orange City. The Advance Pierre Foods factory will shut down, devastating news that the mayor received just last night.
The mayor says the news comes as a shock. He says the closing will have a great economic impact on the entire region. Employing just more than 300 workers, the Advance Pierre Food processing plant in Orange City is run by hard working people. Advance Pierre Foods Senior Vice President for Human Resources Paul Telenson recognizes that.
"You can not fake loyalty, you can't fake commitment, and these folks have it. Very proud of them," said Telenson.
The news came in Tuesday night, when Telenson and other company representatives sat down with employees at the Orange City plant to explain why they plan to close the facility.
"The Orange City facility is up north, our transportation lanes are more down south, and the capacity in this plant could be absorbed in our other plants," he said.
Mayor Les Douma understands the company's reasoning, but wishes Advance Pierre had come to the city before making its decision.
"They're looking at being as efficient as possible, and they don't necessarily have that loyalty to a community, can we make this one work efficiently as well, we would have liked that opportunity, but didn't get that opportunity," the mayor said.
The parking lot of Advance Pierre Foods is jam packed full of workers, but come November, when the company closes its doors, the parking lot could be empty. But Mayor Douma hopes it won't be, with an unemployment rate of just 4 percent in Sioux County, he hopes to keep that number right where it is.
"It's our desire to find another industry to keep those people employed, keep them here in the region and support their families as well," the mayor said.
Advance Pierre says it plans on offering a severance package to its Orange City employees: one week of pay for every one year of service. They also say they made the announcement six months in advance so employees have a chance to find a new job or transfer to another plant.
