Nordyne Plant to Closing

On Thursday, Nordyne officials reported the company will close factories in Boonville and Poplar Bluff.Boonville residents say they are “devastated” and afraid Boonville will become a ghost town with several businesses leaving. Someone laid off from Indeeco last year says she knows how these employees feel all too well. “Nordyne has been an integral part of our community for many years and it’s certainly a sad day for Boonville,” Mayor Julie Thacher said.The plan is to move production to the country of Mexico starting early next year. The company’s first manufacturing plant in the U.S. opened nearly 25 years ago, creating 700 jobs.A dip in the economy has caused companies in Boonville to close, leaving many without jobs and the city uncertain of what will happen next.”We had Hostess Brands shut down and not sure what will be going on with that plant here. We’ve got a lot of unknowns,” Mayor Thacher said.A current employee of Nordyne shared firsthand reaction to the news, saying “It’s just a shell shocker. I’ve worked with them for 20 years.”Not only employees are shocked. A Boonville resident said she was surprised when hearing the news. “They’ve been here quite a number of years and it employs a lot people,” Sandy Vieth said. “I’m really sad to hear that. We lost the bakery recently and I know people, just in small towns find it very hard to find jobs.”The only good news about the Nordyne manufacturing plant closing is it won’t be immediate. It will phase out over two years, fully closing at the end of 2015. Nordyne’s Vice President of Marketing Carol Baker said this decision came after a year of evaluation. The heating and cooling industry has been down the past seven years and Nordyne alone has reported a 30 percent decrease in demand. Boonville’s mayor said in the upcoming council meeting on Monday, Nordyne won’t specifically be address, but they will discuss economic development in general.