Anderson Hickey Inc., a company producing metal filing cabinets and one of the first firms to locate in Cedar City during its current economic development boom, is in the process of closing its operation there. Some 68 employees will be put out of work.
Brent Drew, economic development director for Cedar City and Iron County, said some of the employees already have found other employment and that he expects the remainder to be placed by the time the plant closes permanently Feb. 2.Drew said the company, based in Mississippi, has been in Cedar City for five years and owns the 87,000- square-foot building it occupies. He is mailing invitations to 3,000 companies in an effort to find a buyer for the building.
He said the local economy will remain strong in spite of the closure that is part of a national scaledown by Anderson Hickey to reduce 320 jobs. Drew said residents may suffer a slight loss of confidence because of the closure and the recent layoff of 20 employees by DCI, but other companies could absorb the unemployed workers as the companies continue to expand.