GREENSVILLE COUNTY, Va. -- It's been exceptionally busy at the Emporia Center of Virginia Career Works.
Dozens of the 600 workers at the shuttered Boar's Head plant in Jarratt, Virginia, have arrived to figure out what comes next.
Boar's Head announced last Friday the Jarratt plant would close indefinitely after repeated safety concerns eventually led to a nationwide listeria outbreak linked to the plant. Nine people died and more than 50 were hospitalized, according to health officials.
The plant was one of the largest employers in the area.
Tabitha Taylor — the director of the Crater region — said it was the largest layoff she can remember in the Crater region since Rolls Royce closed its Prince George County jet engine parts production hub and more than 100 workers lost their jobs.
"It’s devastating," Taylor said of the Boar's Head layoffs. "Certainly complicating everyday life and changing their norm."
"Boar’s Head had pulled folks in to do some training with them, so I think there was some hope that, hey, we’re going to be able to implement some positive changes here and continue with things," she continued. "Unfortunately, now they’re in a situation where they’re having to totally re-imagine how they’re going to have a livelihood.”
Boar's Head has provided the workers they laid off with a minimum of eight weeks severance pay, which grows with each year of service, and access to insurance plans for the short term, county officials said.
Taylor said all impacted workers qualify for unemployment benefits until they find a new job, and resources are available in-person, online, and over the phone through their two Virginia Career Works centers in the region.
“Some folks will get a job next week, and they won’t have to access many of those benefits. But for some folks, it might take a little bit of time, and they might want to take a little bit of time," Taylor said.
A big concern for the region is that the laid-off workers will instead choose to move somewhere else for work.
Taylor and other sources said multiple businesses in Greensville and Southside have reached out interested in contacting the laid-off Boar's Head workers.
“We have open positions, and we want to help get them reemployed," Taylor said of the companies. "Just because an organization is going out of business or closing a plant doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities here for a sustainable living.”
Two large job fairs are coming to the region in the next few weeks:
- Crater Regional Job Fair: Friday, October 4th — 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM — Richard Bland College Academic Innovations Center (11301 Johnson Road,
South Prince George, VA) - Southside Regional Job Fair: Tuesday, October 8th — 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM — Golden Leaf Commons (1300 Greensville County Circle, Emporia, VA)
Employers interested in taking part in these job fairs cansign up here.
Many of the Boar's Head workers have not created resumes or searched for jobs in years, so their interview and writing skills could use improvement. Those resources are available through Taylor's team.
Virginia Career Works can also connect workers who might want to change industries with access to education grants, job-specific training and certifications, and aptitude assessments.
"Then, we provide some career clusters or industries that given your skills, abilities, interests, here’s where you might best fit," Taylor said.
The full economic fallout of the closure for the region is not yet known, said Greensville County Administrator Dr. Charlette Woolridge.
"Boar’s Head has been a staple in the county of Greensville for over three decades, and its closure has sent shock waves, not only through Greensville but throughout the Southside Virginia region," Dr. Woolridge said. "It has impacted our local economy, it affects our local businesses because you don’t have the consumer spending we once had.”
From a county standpoint, the plant was the largest user of the county water and wastewater system, so losing the plant means the county will lose nearly $1 million in annual tax revenue from that source alone.
Woolridge said the focus remains on helping the families impacted in the immediate. Long term, she is confident Greensville County and Southside will find new economic development engines.
"Greensville County residents are resilient. This community will bounce back; this community will survive," she said.
Virginia Career Works Crater region has two centers where workers can receive assistance:
- Emporia Center: 1300 Greensville County Circle, Room 105, Emporia, VA 23847 — (434) 634-2326
- Prince George Center: 4300 Crossings Blvd, Prince George, 23875 — (804) 862-6155
- Email: info@vcwcraterregion.com
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