PLYMOUTH – Whitley Products opened its doors again on Friday after suddenly shutting down its operations a little over a week ago, laying off more than 100 workers.
The big question right now – Is the company here to stay?
On Monday, the Marshall County economic development director said Whitley reopened because it was placed under a court order receivership. When we asked him about the court order, he said, “No comment.”
It’s raising lots of confusion.
One moment, workers are all let go. The next, they’re all back at work. Why did Whitley reopen and is it permanent?
Plymouth Mayor Mark Senter didn’t get the memo until Friday morning.
“I heard it on the local radio station,” said Senter.
It’s been quite the rollercoaster for workers and the community.
Senter said he thought the city and Whitley had a solid relationship. In 2009, the city awarded the company a $900,000 tax abatement.
“You would think they would be nice and let us know what’s going on,” said Senter.
But Whitley has been hesitant to speak with anyone.
On Monday, they told us that operations were back to normal and that everyone was back at work. When we asked them details about the company’s future, they said, “No comment.”
Employees did not want to be interviewed on camera. One worker said he’s just happy to be back on the job for the moment.
Whitley is expected to release a statement in the next few days about its future in Plymouth.
