ASHLAND, Pa. — For more than 50 years, Tri-State Envelope has been a staple in Ashland, but now the company says it's closing its manufacturing facility in the borough and its warehouse in Ringtown.
"Yeah, this is big news. This is a shock to anybody," said Randy Troup of Ashland.
Randy Troup grew up in Ashland and knows generations of Tri-State Envelope employees.
"Tri-State closing, that's a big item in this town. I know growing up, everybody wanted to get a job at Tri-State because once you got in, they had the work."
More than 100 employees will soon be forced to find jobs elsewhere. A spokesperson for Tri-State Envelope says the company is transitioning the work to its other location in Iowa to cut costs and improve operations.
"The decision is aimed at lowering costs, improving efficiency, and streamlining operations. Employees were notified on August 28th, 2024, that the facility would complete the transition on October 27th, 2024, or very soon thereafter," the company said in a released statement.
Martin Dunlaavy used to work at the envelope manufacturer. He says factory jobs that once sustained the Ashland community have become more and more scarce as time goes on.
"It's gonna hurt. The factory uptown, the shirt factory up the street as you go out of town, that's closed. Next one will be down. There's a factory down here going. They're hurt too all the time down there," said Dunlaavy.
"That factory building was a big mainstay in Ashland. I never thought that it would be closing," added Troup.
Tri-State Envelope says it will help employees explore other job opportunities within the company and provide separation benefits and other resources before closing its doors this fall.