Boonville residents react to layoffs at Nordyne manufacturing plant

Friday, Nordyne laid off 50 workers from its manufacturing plant in Boonville.

You may remember, the plant is set to close this summer. But, Nordyne is not the first big employer to take jobs out of the city.

“Well it’s going to hurt us,” Boonville resident Leroy Vanderhoof said. “And actually, the only thing Boonville will have as far as industry will be Caterpillar, which is doing really good I hope, and the prison, and the boat and that’s about the extent.”

In 2011, Faqua Homes, a modular home manufacturer, stopped production at the Boonville factory. The city lost 175 jobs.

The next year in 2012, Indeeco, which manufactured electric heating and cooling systems, relocated to Northeast Missouri. Boonville lost another 50 jobs.

Months later, the Hostess plant downtown closed its doors. Boonville lost about 100 more jobs.

And now three years later, Nordyne, a subsidiary of Nortek which makes residential heating and cooling equipment, is the latest to leave the city. Boonville will loose about 200 jobs.

“It’s a shame to loose Nordyne,” Ed Scrivner with the Boonville Chamber of Commerce said. “They have been a great partner for many years. The management staff has always been involved. Guys out there always did Relay for Life and community activities, allowed their plant employees to do things. So it’s going to be a great loss.”

Scrivner is also the owner of Family Shoe Store on Main Street. He said each plant closure has negatively affected his business.

“It always does,” Scrivner said. “Those people buy good quality shoes to work in, my products of Red Wing and Justin and good American made boots. And so it always hurts when you loose a few of those to buy.”

Lisa Decker, who works in Boonville, said she thinks the latest plant closure will force more people to commute out of town for work.

“It’s actually a good thing gas prices are down because people are going to have to commute further,” Decker said. “But that won’t last forever.”

Last year, Nordyne, which is based out of O’Fallon, announced it is also shutting down its factories in Poplar Bluff. The company said it is moving its operations across the border to Mexico. The layoffs will affect about 700 workers across Missouri.