RONCEVERTE, W.Va. — A major employer in Greenbrier County has announced plans to shut down.
Mullican Flooring in Ronceverte gave employees a 60-day WARN notice of layoff Monday. The plant is operated by Bailey Lumber Company in Hamburg, New York.
Plant officials said in the current state of the economy, there is low demand for high-end hardwood flooring. According to a source the company has a high inventory and cannot continue with production since sales are slow.
Officials say the operation of the plant is also very expensive. The Ronceverte plant pays the highest property taxes of any of the company’s operations. The cost of water is also extremely high and so is flood insurance premiums since the operation sits in a flood plane.
About 70 employees are expected to lose their jobs when the plant closes around Thanksgiving. The flooring plant opened in 1985 and celebrated a 40th anniversary last year. Previously the site also included a saw mill which was constructed in the 1950’s. The sawmill closed in 2008.