The wind-down of operations at Banner Engineering in Aberdeen means over 300 people are now looking for new jobs.
That leaves dozens of families scrambling to answer the same question: what next?
Banner told employees in late February its Aberdeen plant is closing by the end of the year.
As the facility gradually closes, the loss of hundreds of skilled labor jobs is an undeniable hit to the community and workforce in northeast South Dakota.
City manager Robin Bobzien said it a new challenge for the community.
“Its technical-type work, and it has been important for us in providing good jobs for people in the community," Bobzien said. "Bottom line is – loss of that type of company takes a little wind out of your sails and you have to readjust some things so people can find some additional work.”
He said the decision from Banner was sudden.
“They just did an expansion of their building, so that’s part of the surprise is they were investing heavily back into the expansion of their workforce and their facility," Bobzien said. "Apparently after they did that, they reassessed where they were at as a company and decided they had to go a different direction. So, it did come out of the blue for us.”
For those facing the worst of it, Bobzien said they’re making efforts for their well-being.
“We have a number of organizations – Aberdeen Development Corporation, the chamber (of commerce), the Downtown Association – they’ve been strategizing to try to figure out ways to find employers that do need people, so we don’t lose these folks," Bobzien said. "The residents in our community will want to make sure they have good paying jobs and that they can remain in the community.”
Some employees have also been given the opportunity to work at another Banner facility in Minnesota.
