Yet another round of layoffs is set to hit the employees at Whayne Supply in Corbin.
According to a letter sent to employees at the company’s Corbin facility, obtained by The News Journal, Whayne Supply Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Joe Yoerg announced the layoffs, which will be effective July 15.
“The total number is still being finalized,” Yoerg said in the letter dated May 13.
Yoerg goes on to say in the letter that the layoffs will be permanent, citing “declining revenue and profitability.”
Corbin Mayor Willard McBurney said he had heard about layoffs but has not heard anything as to how many jobs will be lost.
However, McBurney said seeing companies like CSX and Whayne Supply forced to lay off workers is hard on the community.
“When you take a company that has been so vibrant and see them in this condition, it is heartbreaking,” McBurney said.
The company laid off seven employees as the Corbin facility in 2015 and 14 employees in 2013.
Approximately 110 people are currently employees at the Corbin facility.
Whayne Supply Company was founded in Louisville, Kentucky in 1913, and is one of the oldest and largest Caterpillar dealers in the United States. It specializes in the sale, lease and service of large equipment for construction companies, contractors, coal operators and others. In recent years, the company has been sharply affected by a downturn in the coal industry.
The company has approximately 1,300 employees with facilities in 16 cities across Kentucky and southern Indiana. In addition to CAT equipment sales, parts, service, and rentals, Whayne Supply Company is also the local dealer for Reedrill, Trail King, Thomas Built Buses, Challenger, Lexion, Sullair, Allmand and other construction, industrial, mining, paving, forestry, and agricultural equipment.
For more information see Wednesday’s edition of The News Journal.
