Job Loss Effect on Batesville Community
By: Deedra Wilson
Updated: May 15, 2012
When times get rough in Batesville, everyone's willing to help each other.
Helping each other will come in handy come July for this small town of 10-thousand.
Dennis Fuller says he's lived in Batesville for a decade and seen company lay offs before.
"I think this community has taken hits in the past before. And i think they'll get right back up.
ConAgra Foods announced it will lay off 250 people, that's almost half its workforce in July at its Batesville Plant.
the jobs will move to Missouri.
An economic impact that could cause a wave of concern across this small community, but Mayor Rick Elumbaugh says, again, his city has seen this before.
"With our White Rogers Plant a few years ago. And a lot of these individuals did go back and get trades, went back to school and our community pretty much absorbed the majority of them."
Elumbaugh is hoping the diverse range of companies will look appealing to job seekers leaving ConAgra.
"It's just not poultry we have our Future Fuel Chemical Company, Locroy Optical, we have a baking company Flowers Bakery so there is labor jobs out there."
On the positive, Elumbaugh says Bad Boy Mowers will add 150 plus jobs over the next few years, and White River Medical Center has an expansion going on that will add 275 jobs to Batesville.
Why ConAgra is taking jobs away in the first place.
"They did not elaborate. When I visited with the HR department. They just basically said they are doing away with two lines."
The economic toll will vary due to different reasons.
Some people may leave the area, not go back into the workforce, go back to school or retire.
ConAgra employs 565 people at the Batesville Plant and 56,000 people nationwide.
The Batesville Plant produces lines such as Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Healthy Choice and Kids Cuisine.
