NEOSHO, Mo. — Despite telling state officials that the Neosho Twin Rivers plant would be “permanently” closing on April 9, and that “all employees will be permanently laid off on that date,” a company executive said Wednesday they plan to keep some jobs at the chicken deboning plant, and, if possible, ratchet back up employment when the economy rebounds.
“We’re talking about maybe keeping 100 or so out of the total, production, shipping and support positions,” said John Ball, chief operating officer for Twin Rivers Foods, which is based in Fayetteville.
But that is different than what Doug Quillen, human resources director for Twin Rivers, said in a letter to the Missouri Department of Economic Development that, as of April 9, the plant was closing. That letter was received by the state Tuesday. It said all 485 jobs at the plant would be lost.
“All layoffs will be permanent and the entire poultry processing operation in the plant will be discontinued,” Quillen stated in the letter, which was sent to state officials to comply with the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.
Asked about the discrepancy, Ball said Wednesday that the filing given to the state is a “worst-case scenario.”
He also added, when asked about the closing: “The economy caught up with us ... it’s a tough world out there.”
“We’re looking at trying to replace that business,” he added.
