We welcome you to JobBank USA and hope your job hunting experience
is a pleasant one. We hope you find our resources useful.
August 1, 2008
Deeply disappointing dealer orders following Chris-Craft's recent annual dealer meeting led the company to shut down its Kings Mountain production line, laying off 40 workers, company spokesperson Meghan Stout said Friday. Another 40 workers were laid off at the company's Sarasota, Fla., plant, Stout said.
Sister company Indian Motorcycle, with its manufacturing plant in Kings Mountain and its first retail store under construction in Lowell, is not affected by the layoff, Stout said. Indian has not yet ramped up its production line, she said. Indian Motorcycle officials could not be reached for comment.
Company analysts believe Chris-Craft's sales may take at least a year to recover, Stout said, though they do hope that after the national election is settled, optimism will return to the market next spring. They are hopeful they can recall the workers as soon as possible but realize they may not be able to wait for the call.
Laid-off employees were given generic job applications developed by the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce.
"Our economic development team is still working on several new industry projects and expansion projects, and we hope that we can refer many of these applicants to companies who will be looking to hire in the near future," Kristin Fletcher, assistant vice president for economic development at the Chamber, said in an e-mail.
Stout said several area companies needing skilled workers had already reached out to Chris-Craft and the company is helping match workers to specific jobs. At least one displaced worker had an interview at another company Friday afternoon.
Stout said that company officials had also met informally with families of some of the workers to explain the situation.
Even though Chris-Craft's premium boat buyers had been insulated from recent rises in fuel costs and the general downturn in the economy, Stout said even wealthy potential customers are becoming more cautious.
Dealers that sell Chris-Craft products also carry other lines of boats, and those lines have not been selling well, Stout said. With their overall sales down significantly and the economy still doubtful, dealers were not able to make large commitments for Chris-Craft boats.
"They were very, very conservative in their orders," she said.
About 40 workers remain at the Kings Mountain plant in non-production roles. The company is still investing in design and engineering, Stout said, to keep the development pipeline full of new products to satisfy demand after the market downturn ends.
"We have some new ideas up our sleeve," she said.
When Chris-Craft announced in July 2006, it was coming to Kings Mountain, Cleveland County offered economic incentives totaling $971,556. The incentive package included annual performance requirements for the company tied to the amount of local investments and taxes paid.
Cleveland County Commissioner Ronnie Hawkins said that the county does not pay the incentives when performance falls short.
"We supported them in good faith, and they (Chris-Craft) acted in good faith," Hawkins said.
Hawkins said he views the announced layoffs as an unfortunate setback based on necessary business decisions. He said he believes the company is still committed to Kings Mountain and expects Chris-Craft to be a good longtime part of the community.
Email This Page!