Pretty´s parent shuts down Lancaster Glass

Lancaster Glass - which has been in operation for nearly a century - notified its employees Wednesday about the closing. "Although the company has been actively seeking business in order to avoid this event; along with rising energy and raw material costs, and due to the inability to generate sufficient sales, the company cannot continue to maintain production operations," Gallimore said in the release regarding the closure.

Lancaster Colony Corp., the parent company of Lancaster Glass, announced the closing Wednesday, stating in a separate press release that closing the glass manufacturer is part of its strategic alternative review of its non-food operations. Lancaster Colony also owns Pretty Products in Coshocton.

"Although we expect this action will ultimately contribute to improved financial performance of the company, we regret the challenges this creates for what has been an able workforce and a solid community in which to conduct business," John B. Gerlach Jr. said in a press release.

Gerlach is the chairman and chief executive officer of Lancaster Colony, a Columbus-based and publicly traded company.

Lancaster Glass takes up one block along Memorial Drive between Main and Chestnut streets. The company was founded in 1910 as Lancaster Lens, but later became Lancaster Glass Corp. The company has 103 hourly union employees and 38 management staff.

Gallimore said he spent much of Wednesday talking to nearly all of his employees about the plant shutting down. Gallimore also visited the offices of city and county officials to inform them about the closing, including Fairfield County Job and Family Services. The company is working with Job and Family Services to help employees get jobs and training opportunities, said Mayor Dave Smith, who spoke to Gallimore on Wednesday.

Smith, who worked at Lancaster Glass from 1994 to 1998, said Gallimore had given him "the heads up that (the closure) was forthcoming," prior to the announcement. "Lancaster Glass has the utmost concern for its employees in making sure that their future will be looked after," Smith said. "Obviously this has an impact to everyone in the community when you lose a manufacturing company of that size with their historic background," he said. Smith said the company provided glass lighting fixtures for many famous monuments once upon a time, including a glass lens for the Statue of Liberty. "They were the heart of our downtown. They were a core business for almost 90 years," Smith said. "It´s sad to see them going away."

News of the closing comes almost on the eve of Anchor Hocking´s big day on the auction block. Anchor Hocking, which also manufactures glass, is the city´s second largest private company. The company will be auctioned off today, nearly one year after its parent company, Global Home Products, filed for bankruptcy.

Residents who live in downtown already had heard about Lancaster Glass´ fate by the close of business Wednesday. "It´s going to hurt," said Kenneth Boggs, 65. Boggs, who worked at Lancaster Glass twice throughout the years, said he fears that Lancaster will become a "ghost town" if something happens to cause Anchor Hocking to shut down, too. "(Anchor Hocking) is the only one helping us out," Boggs said. "I have feared (Anchor) would close for years."

Howard Wolfe believes the Lancaster Glass plant closure is "partly management´s fault." "They had no foresight of what´s coming up and the equipment is outdated," said Wolfe, 66.

Downtown business owner Judy Smith was sad to hear about the company shutting down, but she also is looking to the future. "I feel bad that it´s going but it could be turned into something really cool with the right investors. It´s a prime property," said Judy Smith, who owns Imagery, a photo frame and restoration business.

Company officials estimate the total pretax charges for the plant closure to be $5 to $7 million. The company expects to incur a third quarter pretax charge in the range of $2 million to $3 million, with the remainder to be incurred over the balance of calendar year 2007.