Nevada Daily Mail breaks story of O'Sullivan closing

Associated Press gave the credit to the Joplin Globe for breaking the story that O'Sullivan Industries will close its Lamar plant, but the Nevada Daily Mail carried the same information three days earlier:

A mid-level manager who spoke to the Daily Mail on condition of anonymity confirmed widely circulated rumors that the company has sold its top three contracts to a competitor and that there are no plans for O'Sullivan's Lamar plant to exist after 12 weeks.

With talk of a 12-week shutting down period rampant among employees, Nevada resident Mark Mendenhall, a 16-year veteran of the Lamar-based company, said he's worried that his job is at risk.

"They are playing with people's lives not telling us what is going on and what is in the works with our jobs on the line," Mendenhall said. "If I need to be looking for another job, they need to tell me, so that in 12 weeks I will not be one of the 600 people searching for a local job."

Unanswered questions and confusion are all the employees have to work with.

"In fact, the only thing that the plant manager has told us is that we have two options. First option is winding down the process and calling our customers to inform them that we will be closing our doors but continue to supply them with our services until they can find a different vendor. The second option that [plant manager Paul] Britton told us that may be taken, is to inform several investors and buyers of a possible sale of the location. If there would be someone interested, they could continue to operate in the Lamar plant, just as a different company," Mendenhall said.

Despite today's announcements, the O'Sullivan website continues to beckon potential employees with the good news about the company:

Are you looking for a great career opportunity? If so, you’ve come to the right place! O’Sullivan Industries has already experienced over 50 years of amazing growth and transformation and continues to expand innovative product offerings today.
Our team is made up of a unique blend of furniture industry “gurus” with years of proven O’Sullivan experience and also consumer products and consumer packaged goods experts who are impacting the organization through fresh and cutting edge practices.

With a solid standing in both the “made in the USA” and direct import business models, O’Sullivan has been recognized by many of our key customers as offering a unique line of products and services to drive business with the buying public. Our goal is to provide consumers the highest possible level of satisfaction in furniture and organizational products for their lifestyle – just when they need it.

In order to do this, we seek to hire top talent at all levels of our organization. With headquarters in Atlanta, GA, our North American manufacturing facility in Lamar, MO and with sales teams located all around the country and the world, we may have a position that is just right for you.

We invite you to explore our job postings by clicking on the links for Atlanta (includes all sales locations and international locations) and Lamar, shown on the left of this page. We’re looking for energetic, experienced self-starters to join our team and become part of our culture of continuous improvement. O’Sullivan: A Legacy of Growth and Improvement – could you be part of our future?