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Pocono News Section
Residents React to Major Business Closing
Residents React to Major Business Closing - Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at 4:40PM EST
Reported by: Jeremy Deebel
Tuesday, Mar 9, 2010 @ 05:40pm EST
Athens, Bradford County-
A major business closing has some people extremely upset in one part of Bradford County.
Executives with Ingersoll Rand announced Monday they would be closing their plant in Athens by the end of the year. That means about 200 jobs are on the chopping block.
Ingersoll Rand has operated the facility in Bradford County for more than a century. It's known as the world's oldest power tool plant.
On Tuesday, the decision to close the plant made front page headlines, and was the talk of the town.
We caught up with former employee Everett Greeno, of Athens, whose father and grandfather also worked at the plant.
Greeno, explained, "It was heartbreaking. I work for a local newspaper now. And when I printed the story last night, I was really down in the dumps."
Officials at Ingersoll Rand say economic hardships led to the decision. The Athens plant produces power impact tools for the automobile and construction industries.
In a press release from Ingersoll Rand, executives said they expect to begin transferring work to their facility in North Carolina by this fall. And they expect the plant here in Athens to be closed by the end of the year.
AGWAY manager Jeff Sanderson noted, "Certainly if you lose 200 jobs from anywhere it's really too bad. There are a lot of good people that work over there. Hopefully they'll find something."
Sanderson says plenty of employees stop at his store just across the street. He believes the plant closing will impact the entire area.
Sanderson said, "It's convenient for a lot of people over there to stop by over here after work. And I'm sure that affects the whole Main Street as well."
At one point, the plant employed well over a thousand people here. Now those same people are left to wonder what happens next.
Greeno added, "To take away the manufacturing, machinist jobs, they're pretty well high-paid people, you know? And it's going to be tough on a lot of people, a lot of families."
Many people in Athens believe Ingersoll Rand officials will try to lease the facility, possibly to one of the natural gas companies heading into the area. | | |
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