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One of Berryville’s largest employers is pulling up stakes.
Ducommun LaBarge Technologies Inc. announced in a Nov. 7 letter to Berryville Mayor Tim McKinney that there will be a “total closure” of its Berryville plant located at 810 Champlin Ave. on April 28, 2023.
“This closure is expected to be permanent and will affect all employees,” says the letter, signed by Rashidat Quadri, director of human resources for Ducommun Inc.
“All affected employees have been notified of their separation dates and that their separation from employment will be permanent,” Quadri writes. “Those employees are expected to be separated from employment beginning immediately, with all separations accomplished by April 28, 2023.”
Quadri’s letter includes a list of job positions and the number of individuals who will be affected by the closure. That list includes 170 jobs.
“There will not be any bumping rights for the affected employees, that is, employees will not be able to displace more junior employees out of their job positions as a result of this closure,” Quadri’s letter says.
The letter refers further questions to Jennifer Essex, senior human resources business partner for Ducommun. Essex did not return a telephone message.
At the Berryville City Council’s Nov. 15 meeting, McKinney said he and economic development director Dean Lee met with Ducommun representatives earlier that day.
“It’s pretty clear this was a corporate decision,” McKinney said. “This is what they decided to do. We asked them, tell us if we’ve hurt your feelings or anything wrong. They said no, it’s just consolidating plants.”
McKinney said he and Lee told the Ducommun representatives that the city would be “very interested” in the building where the local plant is located.
McKinney said news of the closure came as a surprise. He said Lee’s predecessor as economic development director, Chris Claybaker, met with Ducommun officials no more than six months ago and there was talk of expanding the local operations.
“Apparently plans changed,” McKinney said. “… I think we’re fortunate to live in a place where I think everybody will be able to find a job. Dean’s working on some stuff. We’re going to try to have job fairs or some way we can help those people. I think Ducommun is trying to get some of them to leave town, but we’d like for them to stay here if we can find them a job.”
McKinney said Ducommun has operated the local plant since 1982.
McKinney said some of the local operations would be shifted to Huntsville, with the remainder being moved to a plant in Kansas.
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