Last Updated on 3/20/2010

Published on 3/18/2009

Firestone Building Products Company recently announced its Kingstree and Arkansas plants will lay off 135 employees. The layoffs will affect 64 employees at the Kingstree plant and 71 employees at the Prescott, Arkansas plant. The layoffs will be effective April 3.
Kingstree Firestone’s plant manager Dave Mahan said instead of making large lay-offs at one site, the two facilities shared the burden. “We are a good community employer, and this way no one is hit hard,” said Mahan, who is optimistic that the layoffs will be temporary. “I don’t have a crystal ball, but hopefully we’ll be able to recall our teammates back.”
According to a press release, the commercial construction sector has been especially hard hit by the dramatic decline in the economy, causing the demand for roofing systems to fall sharply.
Because of the high inventory and projected lower sales through the summer, traditionally the best time for construction, Firestone Building Products Company, LLC must reduce production at its Prescott, Ark., and Kingstree plants, which will result in the layoffs.
The Prescott and Kingstree facilities produce single-ply ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) roofing systems with a high-performance synthetic rubber compound that provides outstanding weathering characteristics in climates worldwide.