Two major facilities, providing jobs to the community of Baxter Springs for decades, have closed. So how does that impact employees and the city’s economy? “We’re talking about 100, maybe a little more. And that’s pretty significant for the population of the City of Baxter Springs,” said Amy Kauffman, Cherokee Co. Economic Development Executive Director. 100 employees, perhaps with families – perhaps bringing the only income home. This comes following the closures of two major plants – National Safety Apparel – also still known by its former name – King Louie. And YRC Freight, or “Yellow Freight.” They both announced closures at the end of July and the beginning of August. National Safety Apparel’s final day of operations was Friday. Close to 70 workers are now looking for new jobs – as are more than 30 employees from YRC Freight. “That’s a loss not only for those individual families, but also for consumer spending as a whole. You can consider, 100 people are not buying as much groceries, they’re not buying as much gas. So, there’s a loss of consumer spending,” said Kauffman.
Source: KSNF/KODE
