PRINCETON — Fewer working people, a manufacturer’s building being vacated and a future reduction in tax revenue are among the consequences area leaders are facing now that a major employer is ceasing production.
Flowers Baking Company announced March 1 that operations were being shut down at its bakery off U.S. Route 52 near Bluefield as of March 5. The closing affected 164 employees. Company officials said the bakery was old and had outdated equipment, and that the building didn’t have the space to accommodate new machines without reconstruction.
A “rapid response team” from the state agency Work Force West Virginia was sent to Mercer County to help the laid-off workers find new employment. Meanwhile, work is underway to find a new tenant for the Flowers building, said Executive Director Janet Bailey of the Development Authority of Mercer County.
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