Omya, Inc. cuts 12 positions
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By Bruce Edwards STAFF WRITER - Published: March 7, 2009
PROCTOR — The recession has claimed more jobs in the region with Omya Inc. eliminating 12 jobs, including seven at its Vermont calcium carbonate operation.
Omya spokeswoman Linda Pleiman said Friday the layoffs were in response to market conditions with layoffs also taking place at facilities in California, Alabama and at its corporate headquarters in Cincinnati.
She said there were five layoffs at the Proctor office and two at the Florence plant.
Pleiman said jobs were eliminated in various departments throughout the company including, engineering, purchasing, product development, quality, analytical and finance.
"The decision to reduce employment is not something we take lightly," Tony Colak, CEO for Omya Region Americas, said in a statement to employees. "Today's economic conditions are such that difficult choices have to be made in order to remain competitive."
One Omya employee who took the job loss in stride is Mike Hodulik of Killington.
"The company is really a good company," said Hodulik, an engineer at the Florence plant. "I'm sure they're doing what they're doing because of the economic reasons."
Hodulik, who spent four years with the company, said Omya offered him a generous severance package and outplacement service.
Made from ground marble, calcium carbonate finds its way into thousands of products from antacid tablets to plastics. Pleiman said the downturn in the construction, manufacturing and paper industries resulted in a parallel decline in demand for Omya's products.
She said the company is working to offset the decline by pursuing new markets, new products while working to increase the efficiency of its operations.
The layoffs at Omya's Proctor and Florence locations follow job losses related to the relocation of the company's headquarters from Vermont to Ohio.
Since the company announced in 2007 it was relocating its headquarters, Omya has moved 90 jobs from Proctor to Cincinnati and eliminated another 10 local positions in the process.
Before Friday's announcement, Omya employed 215 people in Vermont — 65 in Proctor and 150 at its Florence manufacturing plant and Vermont Marble Power Division, which serves the town of Proctor.
Omya relocated its headquarters to the Midwest to better serve its expanded operations in the U.S., Canada, Central America and South America. The company employs 900 people at 27 locations throughout the Americas.
bruce.edwards@rutlandherald.com
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