(Sioux Falls) Mayor Reacts To Gateway Layoffs (300 jobs)

[UpInArms]

http://www.keloland.com/NewsDetail2817.cfm?Id=22,32606

At its peak, Gateway was 5th largest private employer in Sioux Falls. Mayor Dave Munson says while it's never easy for the city to lose a business, his first concerns are for the employees.

"My heart goes out to those employees. We're going to try to get them absorbed back in to the work force. We hate to lose them and we want to keep them in Sioux falls," says the Mayor.

He's banking on those employees finding work. With the city on-the-grow at a rate of 3,000 people a year, losing a company like Gateway is a set back.

<snip>

Gateway's gradual down-sizing may have eased the blow, but but losing 300 jobs is still significant.

...more...

[R3dD0g]

1. Damn, I hate to hear that.

My workplace has used Gateways exclusively for the past 8 years. They've been a great supplier.

One morning we faxed in an order for a $10K server and it was on our doorstep the next morning. THE NEXT MORNING!!! A fairly high dollar server - amazing.

[boxster]

2. Worse than the layoffs in Sioux Falls, Gateway has laid off EVERYONE

in North Sioux City, which was where the corporate headquarters - and most of their manufacturing - used to be.

The "home" of Gateway now has no one actually working for Gateway.

[Liberal Veteran]

3. I foresaw this happening when Gateway started opening storefronts...

It was a stupid decision that cost them their prominence in the market.

Storefronts are VERY expensive and not what they built their company on.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

4. Remember...

... Gateway put up the stores with an MBA running the company, Ted Waitt took it back but it was too late. I have several friends who have all gradually lost their jobs at Gateway in the past few years. Gateway hired many handicapped/deaf employees. I have one friend in Sioux City who has worked for them for over 12 years, now out of a job. And more than one married couple where both worked at Gateway in Sioux Falls, she in the office, he on the docks. Many benefits will still be in effect, along with extended "severence pay". check out <http://www.keloland.com> for more details as they had great coverage of it on the Friday night broadcast.