A major industry in the City of Etowah has announced it will close several portions of its operations.

On Tuesday, Waupaca Foundry announced its intent to idle melt, molding and core room production and continue iron casting processing operations at its Etowah facility.

According to a news release from Waupaca, parts will transfer to Hitachi Metals, Ltd. operations, as well as to Waupaca Foundry plants located in Marinette, Wisconsin and Tell City, Indiana.

“The production shift aligns manufacturing efficiencies with market demand,” stated the release.

“Our responsibility to our customers and our team members rests on our long-term sustainability,” said Waupaca Foundry President, COO and CEO Mike Nikolai in the release. “We will continue to supply the high quality cast and machined components and service that Waupaca is known for in the market.”

Waupaca has operated the ductile iron foundry in Etowah since 2001.

According to Waupaca Public Relations Counsel Mary Schmidt, any current Etowah Waupaca employee who wants to remain with the company will be offered employment at another facility. No word was released on the number of people being let go or how many will be retained.

There was also no confirmation on if this is a temporary idling or if it will be permanent, though it was termed “indefinite.”

Shortly after the announcement by Waupaca, the McMinn County Economic Development Authority (MCEDA) released a statement about the news.

“The McMinn County Economic Development Authority (MCEDA) is working with company, state and local officials to make the process as smooth as possible. Waupaca Foundry has a long-standing history in McMinn County,” the MCEDA release stated. “We will continue to support them through the changes they face and appreciate their continued commitment to our community. In the coming days and weeks, the MCEDA will assist in sponsoring a job fair as well as support employees with knowledge of the local benefits and services available in our community.”

In a Tuesday interview, Etowah Mayor Burke Garwood said he first thought of the employees when he heard the news.

“I feel for the people,” he said. “They’ve worked so hard. You’ve got some people who are good craftsmen.”

He added that Waupaca has been a benefit to the city in more than employment terms, as they have done quite a bit of community service over the years.

“They have been doing and continue to do good things,” he said.

McMinn County Mayor John Gentry added his thoughts in a Tuesday interview about the employees losing their jobs as well.

“I was devastated for the employees and their families,” he said. “Our hearts go out to those affected — it’s something you never want to hear. We want to do everything we can to help them find comparable jobs.”

Gentry said he doesn’t question the ability of the workers who will now be job seekers.

“They’re known to be great workers,” he said. “They have skills that are desirable. I think other industries would benefit greatly from hiring them.”

As far as economic impact goes, Garwood noted that Etowah Utilities is likely to be affected significantly by this.

“The impact to the city is significant, but for the utilities it’ll hurt even more,” he said. “Electric is taking a big hit, water will take a hit. Outside of the devastation to the families, the utilities will probably take the biggest hit.”

This marks two major industries that have idled a portion of their operations over the past few months, as Resolute Forest Products made its own announcement in December.

Gentry said he feels the “global impact” of the supply chain issues is taking its toll locally.

“It’s not a secret how difficult it is in the auto industry right now with the supply chain,” he said. “The demand is there. We still have suppliers locally who are going strong.”

Email: dewey.morgan@dailypostathenian.com

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

Your comment has been submitted.

There was a problem reporting this.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.

We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

Department email: News - news@dailypostathenian.com Sports - sports@dailypostathenian.com Classifieds - classified@dailypostathenian.com Circulation - circulation@dailypostathenian.com Composing - composing@dailypostathenian.com Online - webmaster@dailypostathenian.com Full Staff Directory

Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.

Check your email for details.

Invalid password or account does not exist

Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.

An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.

Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.

A receipt was sent to your email.