A meeting last week at Waynesville Country Club is the type that is becoming sadly famliar — local employment specialists, social service employees, and industrial development officials gathered to discuss how to cope with yet another plant closing.

In Haywood County it was the closing of furniture maker Lea Industries and the loss of jobs for 240 employees before Christmas. The same day, officials were gathered in Cherokee County as VF Corp. — a blue jean maker — announced its closing and the loss of 505 jobs.

Last December in Haywood County, a similar meeting was held to discuss the closing of CVS, an automobile parts manufacturer. About 250 jobs were lost. In October of this year, another 84 jobs disappeared at Paxar, a Haywood County manufacturer of clothing labels. In all, Haywood County last lost 1,800 manufacturing jobs in the last 10 years. Other counties west of Haywood are suffering similar scenarios, although most of those did not have as many manufacturing jobs to begin with.

And the sluggish economy is affecting job gains celebrated just months ago. Spague and Company of Pennsylvania was expected to move into the old CVS building in Haywood County in 2002 after paying $5.9 million for the 239,000-square-foot facility. It was expected to employ up to 150 workers.

Now, it looks like a slowdown will delay that expansion. Only six new workers will be in the building this winter.

“North Carolina as a whole is changing. Last year we lost more manufacturing jobs than any state in the nation. Through October of this year, we’re already ahead of last year,” said Samuel Powers, vice president of industrial marketing for AdvantageWest.

Ronnie James, a former Waynesville mayor who works in industrial recruitment for the western part of the state at the N.C. Department of Commerce, said fundamental changes are taking place in this state.

“For decades, it has been textile and furniture industries,” said James. “Now, we have to rethink and re-tool our workforce for the new industries that will provide long-term employment.”

At a meeting last week discussing the future of Lea Industries employees, Waynesville Mayor Henry Foy discussed the need to market quality of life in WNC versus industrial sites or workforce.

“In Waynesville we have the new recreation center, and we need to do more advertising to let people know about what we have here,” said Foy.

Town Manager Lee Galloway said workers must educate themselves. Nearly 25 percent of the workers losing their jobs at Lea Industries do not have high school educations.

“They’ve got to have today’s skills,” said Galloway.

“There is no shame in not having a high school education,said Susan Fouts of the Southwestern Commission. “The shame is in not getting it.”

Rodger Sauls of CP&L said it is a good time for communities to begin long-range planning that recognizes the changing face of manufacturing.

“It’s a new environment. There will be less and less manufacturers. It’s good time to sit back and figure out where you want to be in 10 years,” said Sauls.

 

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The Smoky Mountain News