Del Monte Foods announced on Tuesday it will be closing its tomato processing facility in Plymouth. Tribune Photo/MICHAEL WANBAUGH
PLYMOUTH — Officials in Plymouth are already contemplating next steps after the second major employer in as many months announced plans to close operations in the city.
Del Monte Foods on Tuesday announced it will be closing its tomato processing plant in Plymouth. Production at the facility will end on or about Nov. 10 with warehousing and distribution activities to continue until Feb. 1, the company said in a statement.
Early last month, TreeHouse Foods Inc., the parent company of Bay Valley Foods announced it will be closing its facility in Plymouth. In all, the two closures mean the loss of more than 250 jobs in Marshall County.
"It is a bit concerning, especially when you have a company like Del Monte that has a long history in the community announcing they are closing their facility," said Jerry Chavez, executive director of the Marshall County Economic Development Corp. "That's a hard one for us to recuperate from."
Chavez said one of the first steps for city and business leaders will be to take stock of the infrastructure that is available at the sites. They are also working to arrange a meeting with officials from the Indiana Economic Development Corp. so the state is available to assist in marketing the properties for new developments.
"It's hard to lose either one of these companies," Chavez said. "We have to recognize the impact this has not only on the employees affected, but also the city and those who work in the city."
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