Boise-based JR Simplot Company will close a manufacturing facility in California and also close several of its Simplot Grower Solutions locations.
The company announced last year that it would close its plant in Lathrop, California, south of Stockton. The plant is part of the food and agriculture giant’s Mining & Manufacturing division and produces fertilizers, feed phosphates and industrial products, according to the company’s website.
The Lathrop plant will be closed by the end of the month and 150 jobs will be eliminated.
“This decision was not made lightly,” company spokesman Josh Jordan wrote in response to BoiseDev’s questions. “We have been a long-time community operator and recognize the very real impact this will have on our employees. We appreciate the hard work our employees have put in over the years and leading up to the closure. We did not make this decision due to a lack of commitment from employees or site management.”
Jordan said the company has been working to find other positions within Simplot and has hosted job fairs and hired career counselors to help those affected.
In a separate move, the company is making some changes to its Simplot Grower Solutions division and will close stores. Grower Solutions operates a chain of retail stores in the U.S. and Canada that provide products and services to farmers. As BoiseDev reported, the division has grown rapidly in recent years through acquisitions, most notably the purchase of Pinnacle Agriculture Enterprises in 2020, as well as several smaller deals. of which 15 branches in Canathere.
Jordan said the company will close or consolidate a “select number” of “inefficient, outdated or overlapping” Grower Solutions locations. He did not specify how many locations would be affected, but said about 150 more employees would lose their jobs.
“As with the Lathrop plant, this was not an easy decision for us and we are committed to supporting our employees during the transition,” he said, noting that many employees would have the opportunity to transfer to other nearby locations.
“These consolidations and closures will allow our agricultural retail operations to transition from aging facilities to more centralized, modern locations that are better equipped to serve our customers,” Jordan said.
Simplot is privately held and its financials are not public. Forbes estimates that the company will generate revenue of $9.8 billion in 2023 and employ 13,000 people worldwide.
