MORE AREA JOBS LOST - Marietta Company Closing

(02/12/2005)
Magnetic Specialty Co., a Marietta magnet-making company announced it will close its plant and 125 workers will lose their jobs within the next two months.

The company employees work in Ohio and West Virginia.

The company told its employees they have sold their assets and employees will be without a job by April 9.

"Everyone is just devastated. Everyone is asking: What are we going to do now?" said Mike Holland, 35, of Warren Township, a 16-year employee at the company. We lost Kardex, Airolite and now MSI. There's a major problem here. Hundreds and hundreds of jobs have just left Parkersburg."

Marietta's Kardex Systems, which also employed WV people, is laying off 100 employees in April and Marietta's Airolite cut 62 employees this past year.

Walker Systems in Williamstown eliminated 310 employees and Middleton Doll in Belpre cut its 35 workers.

Parkersburg has lost an estimated 1000 jobs in the past five years, from Ames to Shott Glass.