Having worked at Olds' Banner Pharmacaps plant for nearly 10 years, Mike Guenther said news of the facility's closing turned his life "upside-down.î
"I'm probably going to have to move because there's so many people that are being dumped from the workforce here,î the 43-year-old Olds resident said. "There's not going to be enough jobs for everybody to stay.î
Company officials announced on March 8 that more than 100 employees will lose their jobs by Oct. 31, the target date to have all operations at the Olds plant wound down.
Guenther, who works as a packager and inspector at the plant, said employees learned on March 7 of the plans to shutter the facility and the news hit most people hard, especially after the plant manager became emotional.
"There was quite a few tears shed. People were pretty upset.î
He added it was representatives of Patheon Inc., the company that bought Banner Pharmacaps in December 2012, who broke the news alongside Banner human resources personnel to employees prior to the company's fiscal 2013 first quarter results conference call one day later.
"They just said ëBasically, we just have too much capacity and we're winding down operations here.'î
No one had any idea the closure announcement was coming, Guenther said.
While the company stated operations at the plant, which employs more than 100 people, will end in October, Guenther said some workers could be laid off as early as March 16, with some staying on until the fall to complete outstanding orders.
Jennifer Almond, a spokeswoman for Patheon Inc., confirmed that some workers could be laid off as early as this week with further layoffs coming in the months ahead.
As for how many employees will be laid off at different times over the next seven months and when those layoffs will happen, Almond said the company will "adjust accordinglyî based on "capacity and demand at the site.î
Employees were given the option to go home for the rest of the day on March 7 and March 8 to process the closure announcement.
"We just advised them to speak with our supervisor around any production demands and make sure that we were still able to remain operational,î Almond said, adding production lines never stopped running last week.
Workers will have meetings as early as March 16 with company representatives to learn details about who will be laid off this week and who will stay, as well as more details about severance packages.
Although he said he has already lined up a work opportunity in Red Deer, Guenther guessed most of the other workers, who come from Olds and outlying areas including Bowden and Carstairs, will struggle to find work and will have to leave the community.
"I think there's going to be a lot of people who will move away.î
The plant's employees come from all walks of life and have varying degrees of education - jobs at the plant range from production line workers to scientists and analysts.
Olds mayor Judy Dahl said she's hopeful the area will be able to retain all those varying skill sets.
"There's a lot of employees there. They're an asset,î said Dahl.
The state-of-the-art facility is also an asset she said she hopes will be put to use again.
"Let's stay positive in this and open the door and invite a community conversation,î said Dahl.
Company officials did not say what the plans for the building were once operations have wound down by the target date of Oct. 31.
"We really have to get a handle on this,î said Dahl, adding there are already a number of vacant buildings in town.
Once the closure is complete, many expect that Banner's support of various local charities and organizations will be too.
Banner Pharmacaps (Canada) is listed as an Alumni Club sponsor of Olds College, having given between $100,000 and $249,999 up to Dec. 31, 2011.
The company and its employees have supported various programs in Olds such as coat drives, the food bank, animal food bank, angel toy drives, and cancer society fundraisers.
Each year Team Banner raises money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Last year, employees drove the foundation's Big Bike around town during a torrential downpour to raise awareness and thank the community for helping them raise over $8,000.
The company is an Olds and District Chamber of Commerce member and has helped sponsor many chamber events.
