Job losses happening as cuts hit Butler County

Diversapack, a manufacturing company, will close on or around March 5, and cut jobs for approximately 173 employees, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice received Jan. 6 by Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. As of Feb. 7, Xanterra will no longer manage Hueston Woods, terminating 93 jobs effective that date or during the 14 days after, according to its WARN letter to the state.

Those losses add to the closing Friday of Mohawk Fine Papers’ mill in Hamilton, which has 137 jobs, and the potential closing of SMART Papers, which started employee layoffs in December.

SMART had more than 200 employees when it announced last October it was ceasing its operations. It told the state 46 would be laid off in December, with other rounds this month and February.

Officials with Diversapack declined comment Monday.

The company, based in Commack, N.Y., has three divisions, including packaging, manufacturing and co-packing.

William Brock, Monroe’s city manager, said Diversapack’s closure will be discussed at today’s council meeting, including the impact on income tax revenues. The facility, 801 N. Garver Road, has been through several owners since Brock began working for the city in 1999, he said.

“It’s always a big deal when you have a business closing. Obviously, we want to have our businesses prosper in the city,” he said.

Colorado-based Xanterra, which also manages facilities at Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Canyon, among others, said in its letter to Ohio Job and Family Services that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources did not accept its bid to continue managing Hueston Woods, 5201 Lodge Road. Xanterra said it made arrangements with the new manager, U.S. Hotel & Resort Management, to do interviews of Hueston Woods employees for possible continued employment.

Officials with Xanterra or Hueston Woods couldn’t be reached Monday for comment.

The notices of mass layoffs from Diversapack and Xanterra are the first in Ohio for 2012. Last year, mass job loss announcements in Butler County totaled about 800, including Mohawk and SMART, one of the highest numbers in the state. Butler County business closings and downsizings in 2011 also included Kmart, MISA Metals, BAE Systems and CEVA Logistics US Inc.